Luke Littler has openly acknowledged that he still hasn't had a conversation with Dutch darts star Gian van Veen following their heated exchange in Manchester, but he maintains that the incident is now behind them. The two competitors were involved in a tense on‑stage confrontation three weeks ago during a Premier League Darts match, when the reigning back‑to‑back world champion was accused of celebrating a missed match dart by his opponent.
The episode ended with a chilly handshake and a flurry of posts on social media, with both players subsequently defending their own versions of what happened. Littler made it clear that he has not yet cleared the air with van Veen, yet he is already looking ahead to a possible rematch.
If both players advance through the upcoming stages, they could meet again in one of the finals scheduled for Aberdeen, Leeds or Birmingham. "No, we haven't spoken," Littler told Sky Sports. "I'm not the sort of person who goes up to someone and starts a conversation. Maybe he's waiting for me to make the first move, but that's not how I operate.
Even in the practice room, people usually approach me first. I'm not one to chase after a chat." He added that any lingering tension could be settled on the oche, the darts board, but backstage the atmosphere remains unchanged and preparation continues as usual. "I think he's moved on, I’ve moved on. I went on holiday the day after and just left it behind," he said.
Despite his calm exterior, the fallout from the Manchester incident has followed Littler around the circuit. He faced a hostile reception in Rotterdam last week and again encountered a chilly crowd in Liverpool on Thursday. Nonetheless, he managed to silence the dissenters with a stellar performance, defeating Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Jonny Clayton en route to a night‑time victory.
There has been a lot of debate about Littler's conduct in Manchester, but he insists he harbours no regrets. "No, I don't regret anything," he affirmed. "I have my perspective, he has his, and we're both entitled to ours. On stage we both keep playing, off stage we haven't spoken, but the game goes on.
It's been a tough couple of weeks, but I just had to keep going. Winning tonight gives me confidence and reminds me why I love darts." Success on the Mersey, where Liverpool's iconic stadium sits, would mean a great deal to Littler, especially given his fraught relationship with the city’s fans. He has never been warmly welcomed in Liverpool, partly because he openly supports Manchester United and has often teased the fortunes of Liverpool’s club on social media.
However, he says the reception he received in Liverpool pales in comparison to the hostility he experienced in van Veen's hometown of Rotterdam. "If things get any worse than that, something's seriously wrong," Littler remarked. "Rotterdam was far tougher than tonight.
I even proved last week that I can win under those conditions. There was no anxiety – I expected the worst, but it wasn't worse than Rotterdam.
That was the toughest environment I've faced." Looking ahead, the Premier League Darts schedule continues with weekly Thursday fixtures leading up to the finals in May. Fans can follow the action on Sky Sports or stream the matches through the NOW platform.
While the rivalry between Littler and van Veen adds an extra narrative thread, both players have indicated they are focused on their own games and will let the oche decide any remaining scores. The upcoming weeks will reveal whether the two will clash again on the board, and if so, whether the tension from Manchester will finally be resolved in the heat of competition.