By Claire Schofield,Jack Flintham,Will Schofield

Copyright walesonline

Luke Littler has disclosed his next career step following a surprise split announced on the eve of the World Grand Prix. The 18-year-old parted ways with ZXF Sports Management, bringing to an end a partnership which started when he was just 13, right before his opening match in Leicester. Cool Hand Luke then defeated Gian van Veen, in what proved to be a Grand Prix thriller on Tuesday evening. Speaking following his victory, Littler told Sportsboom : “I’m on my own. Just as myself, I think it’s better. “Obviously I’ve got my family to support me and obviously Martin [Foulds] had done his job, but I think it was the right time. Booking flights, hotels and all that stuff and we’re on our own. “I’m going to have help from Garry [Plummer] at Target, as well. It’s going to be massive; we’re going in the right direction. “No one knows what’s been going on behind the scenes. And I won’t be saying anything, but it was just the right time.” In announcing the separation on X, Littler stated: “I want to say a massive thank you to @Zxfsports, and especially @Martin_foulds84, for everything they’ve done for me so far in my career. We’ve had some amazing times together over the last five years and I’ll always be grateful for the advice and support that’s helped me get to this point. “As my career moves forward and the schedule gets busier, we’ve agreed it’s the right time for me to take the next step with new representation.” That surprising career decision comes a few weeks after Littler posted a ‘retirement’ video on social media. However, this turned out to be a spoof which was used to promote the new EAFC26 video game. After securing his first victory on the Grand Prix stage on Tuesday night, Littler told Sky Sports: “I am very happy. “I don’t think I could have done a lot better there. I certainly played better than last year. “I said I would be fiery in my pre-match interview and I showed a bit of that. I missed a few doubles starting and finishing but overall it was a good performance and Gian played his part in a brilliant game. “We push each other every time, play our best darts against each other. Hopefully this is my next major. First round done, on to the next one.”