Luke Littler Opens Up: Football Manager is His Toughest Challenge After Being Sacked by Man Utd Twice!

“YOU’RE getting sacked in the morning” is a chant that many highly-paid yet under-performing football bosses hear before being handed their P45.

And it is one that routinely rings in ’s ears before he goes out and nails a ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout live on TV.

Luke Littler has revealed he is fearing the SACK on Football ManagerCredit: Getty Littler revealed how he was manager of Man Utd and got sacked in the gameCredit: Getty

Because SunSport has learned that, as dominant as ‘Nuke’ is, there is one thing the teenager has yet to master.

Before walking-out to the strains of Pitbull’s Greenlight the reigning world champion Littler is usually on his mobile, playing Block Blast — a Tetris-style puzzle game — and the latest Football Manager 26.

Yet, it seems managing a football club online is not Littler’s strongest suit. And when things do not go his way, he quickly deletes the game and starts again.

Littler revealed: “The first season I was manager of — I’ve always done United as I’m a fan. But then, with the new one that came out, I was fifth in January, and got sacked.

“So I quit that and made a brand new game. Then I was fifth in February. Got sacked again.

“And then next time, I got top four. I’ve not started my new season yet.
I was sacked twice, in January and February, and I was fifth. Oh, it’s a very tactical game, I’ll tell you that.”

It is remarkable to think Littler could be in the final of the 2025-26 PDC World Darts Championship — where there is £1million on the line for the winner — and yet he will play games on his phone in the hours before.

Remember, though, he is only 18 and it is a ritual that has served him well over the last two years.

Since turning professional, Littler has won NINE television majors, most notably the world title last January. So, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Littler added: “Yeah, I’m just relaxed. I’m always on my phone, always playing games and looking at or , messaging my mates.

“I’m not going to stop it just for a tournament. Obviously some people turn their phone off, put it in their bag, but I couldn’t imagine that. I just do the same as I’ve always done and just don’t change it.

“I’m always on my phone and always listening to my music before matches and stuff like that. So yeah, I’m never going to stop that.”

Littler might struggle to be manager of United — incumbent might empathise with that — but he has the love of the fans at Old Trafford.

One of the coolest days he has had in 2025 was taking the Sid Waddell Trophy as guest of honour to United’s Premier League game with Brighton two weeks after winning the world title.

When he was asked if there was one moment in particular this year where he thought ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’, Warrington-born Littler said: “I think it’s walking out to Old Trafford. Middle of the pitch, at half time.

“One of the guys said to me, ‘Well, there’s still 35,000 to 40,000 people who don’t go and get a drink straight away’.

“So yeah, to have especially the whole stadium, the Stretford End, singing, ‘There’s only one Luke Littler’, that meant a lot to me.”

And the pinch-me moments continued as he lifted the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals in a mad nine-month spell.

Not only that, he leapfrogged to become world No 1, pocketing close to £2m in prize money.

He has made the walk-on to the Ally Pally stage 13 times — although it will be different this time when he faces Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas in round one, for this year he will be announced to the crowd as reigning champion of the world.

Littler said: “It’s going to be surreal. Ally Pally is not actually the biggest. Obviously we’ve played in many arenas in the Premier League, like in and the O2, but at the Ally Pally, there’s still three, four thousand there.

“Everyone loves the walk-on, for myself, that’s the main part. See all the fans get involved and then as soon as the music goes off, that’s when I do it. My walk-on is a very good one.”

Over the longer format, the younger man nearly always prevails.
There is a mind-boggling stat that whenever a game goes 20 legs or longer, Littler reigns supreme, winning 22 out of 23 such occasions.

He continued: “Obviously if you win the darts backstage, then it helps you massively. You have the darts in a last-leg decider.

“I always say to myself on a last-leg decider, you’ve got to be going out with at least a 13 or 14-darter, no matter who you’re playing.

“But do people crumble when they hear Greenlight? Maybe that’s what they have in their head. Only they can decide that.”

Littler has thrilled fans for his bouts of explosivity and how he takes out ton-plus checkouts in style.

Sometimes he acts the showman, taking his time to build up anticipation for the crowd or going for an unorthodox finish.

But with £1m on the line in the final on January 3, would he attempt to showboat in the showpiece final, the biggest game in the sport’s history

“No,” he laughed, “I think that’s a bit different!

“I got asked recently, ‘Would you give up every major this year for the Worlds?’ I said, ‘Absolutely’. So, yeah, I can’t wait for it to get under way.”