Luke Littler tipped to quit darts and earn millions elsewhere as teenager 'fed up already'

One of 's darts rivals does not expect him to stick around at the top of the sport for long. Littler is only 18 and his meteoric rise, which culminated in him becoming the youngest world champion in history earlier this year, has sparked a boom in darts' popularity.

Littler is famed for his audacious checkouts and interaction with the crowd, but suspects that all is not entirely rosy behind the youngster's on-stage showmanship. And he expects him to bow out while still in his early twenties to pursue a lucrative YouTube career.

"I think he'll be off in about five years," Aspinall told . "He's 18. He does a lot on YouTube, he's good mates with Angryginge. I can see him going down that path, in my opinion.

"He's already getting fed up with playing and travelling all the time, and he's only been doing it 12 months. I don't think he'll be around for 16 years, let alone winning 16 world titles. If he does, fair play to him. But I can't see it."

Littler has managed his schedule carefully since becoming a household name. With his career prize money haul well into the millions, he regularly skips smaller events in favour of staying at home.

That hasn't stopped him bringing his best darts to this season's Premier League Darts - a 17-week competition culminating in finals night at The O2 this Thursday. Thousands have turned out to watch 'The Nuke' this year as he bids to retain the title he won 12 months ago. But even last year, after coming out on top, Littler suggested that the demands of the marathon event had taken their toll.

He said: "Now that the Premier League is over, thank god it's over, the travelling on Friday at like three or four in the morning, and then people expecting you to play your best darts on Friday night, it was just difficult. Now the Premier League is over we can sort of balance it out and see what we play in."

Having topped the standings with a record points haul, Littler will have the honour of playing first on finals night. The teenage thrower is up against Gerwyn Price, and if he makes it through, he will get the benefit of a rest before the final.

Aspinall is set to come up against world No. 1 Luke Humphries in the other semi-final, with the pair finishing the regular season third and second respectively.