Littler ‘glad’ he isn’t in Euro 2024 squad with strict ‘no PlayStation’ rule
Luke Littler has admitted his relief at not being part of Italy’s squad at Euro 2024, amid claims that the team have been banned from playing video games during the tournament.
The darts sensation, 17, is a devoted Manchester United fan and has showcased his footballing ability in a crossbar challenger on Sky Sports – but is still a far way off an international call-up. Instead, Littler was recently crowned Premier League Darts champion, a few months after his phenomenal route to the world championship final.
The teenage prodigy would have required discipline during his hours of darts practice to become the player that has taken the sporting world by storm. However, reacting to reports that Italy manager Luciano Spalletti had laid down strict rules for his team at Euro 2024, including a PlayStation ban, Littler wrote on Instagram: “Glad I’m not in that squad.”
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Littler is an avid gamer and has spoken openly about spending some of his winnings on ultimate team packs on EA FC. It appears that Littler would struggle to go without a games console for a month but Spaletti has explained that the supposed ban has been blown out of proportion.
“I’m not bothered about what they do, but I don’t allow them to spend all night being up,” Spalletti said on Friday. “I have nothing against any type of game – we have created a games room where there are two PlayStations there. Everyone goes there, I have had a go on it myself.
(Image: Instagram/@lukethenukelittler)
“But they can do that…within the right time of day. I don’t think it’s acceptable they’re awake until 3 or 4 a.m, you need to sleep at night. We need to impart a correct lifestyle during matches. It’s not fair and not true that I said we can’t play PlayStation. I said we can’t stay up until 3 or 4 a.m. -that’s different.”
Back in March, Spaletti became irked by one of his players seemingly being up until the early hours on a games console ahead of Italy’s crucial Euros qualifier against Ukraine. For Littler, though, his gaming habits have not stopped him from becoming one of the biggest stars in darts.
(Image: Claudio Villa/Getty Images for FIGC)
The teenager is likely to be watching the Euros closely as the tournament unfolds, as well as keeping tabs on Man United’s transfer activity. On Instagram, Littler shared his excitement at reports that the Red Devils had made an opening offer for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, writing, “Jarrad on the way, [Matthijs] De Ligt on the way”, along with an exhaling emoji.
