Man Utd players 'need to talk to Luke Littler'! Red Devils icon Jaap Stam urges current squad to seek advice from darts sensation on handling of 'high-pressure situations'

The Red Devils are on track to record their worst-ever Premier League finish for a second season running. Last year, Erik ten Hag's side ended a lowly eighth, and Ruben Amorim's charges are toiling away in 13th, a good seven points off the top half.

United, with their football operations now under the control of INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have sought to rebuild the playing squad. Several youngsters, including Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo, have played prominent roles over the last couple of years, while the likes of Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu have been added to the ranks. Nevertheless, United are at their lowest ebb in a generation.

Speaking to Makthavare.se, Stam claimed United's youthful cohort should seek the advice of darts world champions Littler: "I’ve been so impressed with how Luke Littler has been performing, he is doing such an amazing job at a young age and I spoke to him at Old Trafford last season. I told him how impressive it was that he can still perform with all the noise and the shouting behind him at tournaments, it’s so hard to have that concentration and that focus.

"I think it's different for certain personalities in how you approach certain situations and how you deal with that, Luke's been doing a great job at that. For young footballers who are going from the academy to the first team at a big club it can be very difficult, you have to think about all the social media attention and pressure put on these players.

"I think it would be good for these young players to talk to Luke about his experience and how he handles high pressure situations. I have seen players in the past who go from the academy to the first team and then they seem to struggle. It’s so important to have people within the club who can help that transition and make it easier for those young people to handle it and reach their potential."

Littler, who is a fan of United and has made several visits to Old Trafford, has taken the sporting world by storm since his emergence in late 2023 and early 2024 when he reached the final of the World Darts Championship at just 16 years of age. He was beaten in the final by Luke Humphries on that occasion, but went one step further and took home the trophy the following year.

While United are unlikely to qualify for Europe next season through their Premier League finish, they can still book a spot in the Champions League via glory in the Europa League. They will face Lyon in the quarter-finals, with the winner facing either Athletic Club or Rangers in the last four.