Luke Littler can join Phil Taylor as one of greatest darts players of all-time if he makes one key sacrifice

Barry Hearn believes Luke Littler has all the tools to become an all-time darting great.

Teenage prodigy Littler burst onto the scene with a stunning display at the 2024 World Darts Championship, reaching the final at Ally Pally, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Littler has the world at his feet since his arrival on the darting sceneGetty

Littler sits in the top 30 of the PDC Order of Merit and has picked up a whole host of accolades including the Premier League and World Series of Darts titles.

Luke the Nuke’s arrival has transcended the sport and the 17-year-old is blowing away some experienced opposition with his effortless oche magic.

And former PDC Chairman Hearn insists Littler is not being fazed by the higher level of scrutiny and pressure on his young shoulders.

“He has the potential to be one of the greats of all time,” he said on his Barry Hearn Show.

“That is the sacrifice he has to make. Does money spoil him along the way?

“No one really knows the answer, will he be or won’t he be? It will largely depend on him and how he copes with his new world.

“I think he will surprise a lot of people with his maturity as he already has. The way he handles himself. He’s excellent.

“Let’s hope he keeps like that. We are being entertained by greatness. There are a dozen or so players that have the potential from 12 years up.

“We need to be able to tell a story, set the scene. We need to involve everybody, get people talking. Luke Littler did that. By the way, he’s still got a long way to go.

“I think he’s a sensible boy, I think he knows that. He’s pacing himself and he’s going to get beat as well, he’s not going to suddenly blow everybody away.”

Hearn believes Littler can become an all-time great putting himself alongside TaylorGetty

Littler has already set some remarkable records, and his time at the pinnacle of the sport has only just begun.

It is a big year for the two-major winner in 2024, with the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and showpiece World Championship event at Alexandra Palace approaching.

His profile has surged to make him one of the most popular players to have ever played on the tour already, despite having competed for just under a year.

The likes of Michael Van Gerwen, Michael Smith and leading player Luke Humphries will be his competition in a golden era for the arrows.

And friend and mentor Nathan Aspinall believes he has put a target on his back by making such a meteoric rise and winning so much so early on.

“I wouldn’t say trying to impress, I think they just want to smash him,” Aspinall told talkSPORT.com.

“He is winning everything so we have to get to his level or it is just going to keep happening.

“I think it has given us a kick up the backside, it was the same guys all the time and now Luke is winning the Premier League and everything.

“We are like, ‘he’s 17 mate, we need to put him back in his place’ – I think that’s what a lot of the players think.

“Or at least I know one of them that thinks of that. I think it has helped bring the standard up too.”