Manchester United welcomed Luke Littler to Old Trafford ahead of their match with Tottenham – and had quite the gift for the 16-year-old.
Littler, who reached the World Darts Championship final earlier this month, is a Manchester United fan and it is a week until his birthday.
United hosted Littler for a photoshoot and gifted him the shirt every fan wishes for – a top with his nickname and favourite number on the back.
Littler posed at the edge of the pitch holding up the shirt, the back adorned with ‘THE NUKE’ – his darts nickname – and the number 180.
The club invited Littler to the match after he reached the final of the World Darts Championship, where he eventually lost to Luke Humphries.
Manchester United welcomed Luke Littler to Old Trafford ahead of their match against Spurs
The boyhood fan was invited by the club after reaching the World Darts Championship final
United also helped organise good luck messages from current players Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw as he prepared to take on the world No 1 for a shot at the £500,000 first prize.
‘I’ve got a lot of followers now. I’ve had a message off Luke Shaw, from Manchester United, from Rio Ferdinand, and I had a message off Gary Neville and Jonny Evans before my game against Barney,’ Littler told the BBC earlier this month.
Littler has also captured the attention and hearts of other footballers, with Donny van de Beek among those to ask the 16-year-old for a photo.
Littler hailed United midfielder Donny van de Beek as a ‘legend’ after beating Matt Campbell in their third-round match
Jonny Evans sent Littler a message of support before he faced off with Raymond van Barneveld in the last 16
Arsenal pair Aaron Ramsdale and Declan Rice also got in on the action as they asked for a picture with the darts sensation before their 2-0 defeat by West Ham.
Meanwhile, Tottenham playmaker and darts aficionado James Maddison invited Littler to watch Spurs’ clash with Bournemouth.
