I argued with Luke Littler's dad over what he said to him when kid was just 12 - but he turned out to be right

Nathan Aspinall has recalled the first time he realised fellow Manchester United fan Luke Littler was likely to become a teenage sensation in the sport of darts.

Aspinall is the current world No.4 in darts and he's one of the PDC's leading players, but Littler took the sport by storm after reaching the World Championship final aged just 16.

Although Littler, who is an avid supporter of United, was defeated in the final of the biggest tournament in darts, his remarkable story caught the attention of the nation, as the public struggled to comprehend how someone so young could perform at such a high level.

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Littler is a phenomenon and he's been credited with drawing millions of new eyes to darts. The Worlds final was watched by a total of 4.8million viewers on Sky Sports, with a peak of 3.68m, and that was the largest audience for a non-football event in the broadcaster's history.

Since his appearance at the Worlds, Littler has celebrated his 17th birthday, he's been invited to Old Trafford and Carrington, and he's continued to win darts matches. In an exclusive interview with the MEN's Manchester is Red podcast, Aspinall, who is represented by the same management team, discussed Littler's meteoric rise.

"The first time I came across Luke, I think it was in Chester in a tournament and I beat him 4-3," he said. "I think he was aged four! No, he was around 12 and wow, I just thought 'who is the kid?'.

"I remember seeing his dad with him and he was dead critical of him because he'd lost. I was thinking mate, he's 12, and I was in the top 16 in the world at that time and I said 'give him a break'.

"His dad said