Manchester United outcast Donny van de Beek meets rising star Luke Littler at PDC World Darts Championships

Donny van de Beek has been snapped with rising teenage darts prodigy Luke Littler at the PDC World Darts Championships on Wednesday evening.

Van de Beek is gearing up to leave Manchester United next month as he completes a loan deal to German outfit Frankfurt ahead of a possible £12.5million permanent summer exit. It will soon be a busy time for the 26-year-old, so he is making the most of his time in England and decided to visit Alexandra Palace to take in the action.

The midfielder was there to support fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen as he stormed through to the fourth round of the Championships. The Netherlands has produced a number of top darts pros in recent years, including the likes of Raymond van Barneveld.

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Van de Beek is clearly a follower of the sport and later agreed to take a photo with Littler, who is 10 years his junior aged just 16. Littler also made it through to the fourth round to become the youngest-ever player to do so, having entered the competition as a qualifier.

The teenager, nicknamed ‘The Nuke’, took to Instagram to share the photo of himself and Van de Beek, branding the footballer as a “legend”.

Van de Beek has made the last seven Premier League matchday squads but has played just two minutes in the competition all season. His only other appearance came in a 19-minute spell against Crystal Palace in September's League Cup win.

His last competitive start for United came almost an entire year ago, a match against Bournemouth in January during which he suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out of the second half of last season.