By Shane Ireland,Stephen Killen

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Darts prodigy Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler has left supporters in shock after releasing a cryptic video hinting he might walk away from the sport. The trailblazing 18-year-old shared the clip to social media on Thursday, just days after his defeat by Michael van Gerwen at the World Series of Darts. Littler has revolutionised darts and captivated the wider sporting community since exploding onto the scene as a 17-year-old during the 2024 World Darts Championship. The Manchester United supporter stunned all, outclassing his rivals after securing qualification as a wildcard and advancing through the competition to the final, where Luke Humphries defeated him. Nevertheless, he secured his payback 12 months later as he triumphed over Humphries at the Alexandra Palace. During his brief career, Littler has already amassed an impressive trophy cabinet, listing the Premier League title, World Series, UK Open and Grand Slam of Darts amongst his achievements, as well as a coveted world title. Yet on Thursday, Littler’s social media update left supporters stunned as he posted a tongue-in-cheek video suggesting that his time on the oche has come to a premature end. With sombre music playing, the Warrington-born thrower said: “I’ve had an awesome career, I couldn’t have asked for much better for myself. “You know it’s been full on for two years, I’ve done many great things, the Premier League at the age of 17 on debut, the nine-darters on tele, winning the World Championships at 18 – the youngest to ever do it. “I just want to say thanks to all my fans for the support over the last two years, it’s been phenomenal. “It’ll shock some people that I’m taking a step back, it’s not been an easy decision, now I want to do something that I love.” As the music fades in the clip and he abandons his darts on his chair, adorned with his iconic purple shirt, Littler can be heard whispering: “Do you think they’ll fall for that?” One user responded: “Is this rage bait or what?” Another commented: “Do what you have to do Luke, we will support you all the way bud.” One social media user suggested that Littler was preparing to replace struggling United manager Ruben Amorim, following his difficult start to the campaign, reports the Mirror . He quipped: “Littler is about to break the internet.. Next Man Utd Manager?” Nevertheless, some followers were swift to employ their investigative abilities, connecting the pieces to propose that Littler was hinting that he was set to take advantage of the new EA Sports FC launch. Early access for the title commences tomorrow, September 19, ahead of the complete release on September 26. “The new FIFA is out…he’s playing FIFA the weekend,” one response stated. It would be logical that Littler was acknowledging the arrival of the newest video game given the 18-year-old has consistently mentioned playing FIFA and EA Sports FC. Following his meteoric rise to fame after his journey to the World Championships final in 2024, he quipped that he would use his £200,000 prize money on FIFA points, a digital currency for the game’s Ultimate Team mode. “No idea. The first thing that comes into my head is FIFA points,” he replied, laughing. There were rumours this time last year that Littler had pulled out of the Hungarian Darts Trophy in order to play the new EA Sports FC game released on 20 September 2024.