Michael Smith claims that some players have been left 'annoyed' by Luke Littler 's meteoric rise - even though they have benefitted from it financially.
Littler, 17, made headlines around the world when he reached the final of the PDC World Darts Championship at the turn of the year.
The teenager was beaten in the final by Luke Humphries but has gone on to win several tournaments and is currently top of the table in the Premier League.
Smith, a former world champion, will meet Littler on Thursday when they clash in the semi-finals of the Premier League play-offs at the 02 Arena in London - but he admits not everybody is happy that the teen is competing in the tournament.
He told The Independent : "There's a few getting upset with it but listen my pockets get full every time he gets mentioned. I think they are getting annoyed. I had it last year [after winning the world championship], Littler is getting it all now."
Smith continued: "The people at 70, 80, 90 all they should think about is that their money is going to keep going up and up and up.The more this kid is playing, we get better sponsors, hopefully Eddie (Hearn) puts the prize money up again, £1,000 to £1,500 on the ProTour.
"My money is just going to keep going up because some kid is doing it for me. I'm not annoyed and the other players shouldn't either, the kid is doing nothing wrong.
"People are annoyed that he got in [the Premier League] and I can say there's a couple of the boys in the top 16 who are annoyed. But he is going to pocket us so much money.'"
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Littler has been in mesmerising form in the Premier League and was dubbed as the "best in the world" by former four-time world champion Wayne Mardle after he qualified for the play-offs with a fortnight to spare earlier this month.
"I do believe Luke's playing like the best in the world - and he’s getting better. Right now he has this swagger - just imagine how good he will be in five years," Mardle said.
"There's a definite comfort zone with him now, shushing the audience, having the guts to do it, having the composure to do it and not letting it bother him or put him off. He seems to have come out of his shell - there has been a change in him.
"There's a lot to like about his game, and let’s hope it stays that way for many a year, but that's four wins in the Premier League now and he's more or less wrapped up the league phase with two weeks to go."
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