- Van Gerwen had some hard words for Littler before his Belfast meeting
- Littler went up to a photo shoot 45 minutes late after falling asleep at his hotel
Michael Van Gerwen provided some brutal tips to the rival Luke Littler on the eve of the first Premier League Darts event of the new season.
Littler became the youngest winner of the World Championship in January when he beat Van Gerwen to lift the trophy, since he reached the final the previous year.
The 18 -year -old will begin the defense of his Premier League title, which he won last year, against Van Gerwen in Belfast on Thursday.
And on the eve of the competition, Littler arrived 45 minutes late at a photo shoot prior to the event that involves the eight players, which resulted in some hard words of the Dutch star Van Gerwen.
Speaking on Wednesday, Van Gerwen said: '45 minutes late, you mean. They need to stop treating it like a baby. He is no longer a baby, now he is 18 years old.
'It happens. You have to learn. You have to learn for the bad. It is a professional sport, so it must be responsible for its actions. Simple as that.
Michael Van Gerwen provided some brutal tips to rival Luke Littler, whom he plays in Belfast
Van Gerwen insisted that Littler is 'not a baby' and should be responsible for his actions
'If you get late for an interview, I don't care! But seven other people are waiting for him. That is not very nice, right?
Littler later responded to Van Gerwen when he revealed that he fell asleep in his hotel room for 25 minutes.
“You know what Michael is like,” said the world champion. 'He called me lazy. I only laughed at him.
'I have not seen the final final (Ally Pally), only the double winner. He will be willing to that, he will be hungry. But I am prepared for it as the reigning champion.
Unite Littler in this year's alignment is the number 1 of the world Luke Humphries, and two men who beat Ally Pally in Van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting.
The tournament begins in Belfast and will work for 17 weeks in places in England, as well as Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff and the Netherlands.
The playoffs will begin at the O2 in London on Thursday, May 29.
Littler opened recently in his conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson when he paraded the Dart World Championship trophy around Old Trafford.
After cutting an emotional figure, the teenager was invited to parade the Sid Waddell trophy around Old Trafford in the part -time United game with Brighton later in the month, being an avid Fan of United.
“It was probably one of the best moments of my life and will live with me forever,” Littler said. 'He was scheduled to parade the trophy before the start, but Denis Law had died. There was an empty seat where Denis would have sat the day.
'I sat behind Sir Alex Ferguson and was chatting with him for a moment, which was good. It is one of the best things I have done.