Phil Taylor is confident Luke Littler can break his record of 16 World Championship titles, but has warned the 17-year-old against "Man Utd syndrome".

The 17-year-old became the youngest ever winner of the PDC World Championship when he defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final earlier this month.

It was already the 11th professional title in the career of Littler, who also won the Premier League at his first attempt, before climbing to second on the PDC Order of Merit.

The teenager, who finished second to Keely Hodgkinson in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, will play his first match as the reigning world champion on Thursday at the Bahrain Masters, where he is also the defending champion.

Taylor - widely regarded as darts' greatest ever player - thinks players will be inspired to raise their game against Littler in a similar manner to the way football teams approach playing the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

"If he wants to beat my world record, then he can go ahead and do it," the 64-year-old said. "It's difficult when you are young, and you have money in the bank. I was 30 when I won for the first time, so I'd done all that before.

"You get what I used to call the Man Utd syndrome - and Liverpool have got it as well - where everybody raises their game against you, so you have to be at your best in every round.

"Darts has gone crazy. You wouldn't believe the difference since young Luke came along. I have nothing but credit for the lad, I think the world of him. I think it's great to see darts so popular."