Fans in shock as Luke Littler shares video announcing he's 'taking a step back' to 'do something he loves'

Luke Littler's had a better darts career in just a couple of years than some players manage in their entire time standing in front of the board, but he's just released an ominous-sounding video.

The darts ace said he's 'had an awesome career' in which he's 'done many great things' in his youth, as he thanked his fans for their 'phenomenal' support.

"It'll shock some people that I'm taking a step back; it's not been an easy decision, now I want to focus and do something that I really, really love," Littler said in the video, before laying his darts down on a chair.

It's the type of announcement that ought to rock the world of darts to its core, for the sport to lose one of its brightest stars at such a young age, with years of excellence still before him.

Or it would, if viewers didn't hear Littler say 'do you think they'll fall for that' right as the video ended.

Come to think of it, the new EA Sports FC 26 is just about to release, so if you wanted to take time off to play it, now would be the moment...

Early access to the Ultimate Edition drops tomorrow (19 September), so anyone planning on falling conveniently ill for a week or so might want to start coughing meaningfully.

The actual release date is a week on Friday (26 September), but anyone wanting to get on it early has a chance to steal a march on other players.

We're not saying that's why he's doing it, just that it'd be really convenient timing for Littler to spend time with 'something that I really, really love'.

Besides, from the sound of it, this is more 'au revoir' than 'goodbye' since he didn't actually say what he was going to do or that he was quitting darts, so this is likely to be all in jest.

Littler himself is a Manchester United fan, so he might be hoping to salve some of his sporting fan woes by doing what the real-life United team can't currently do by winning two consecutive Premier League games in a row.

Given his meteoric rise in the world of darts, it's easy to forget that Littler is still only 18, so if he wants to take some time off and focus on something fun, then fair play to him.

Of course, an announcement like this did cause a few of his fans to briefly s**t themselves in panic as a few said his announcement 'F**KING HAD ME TILL THE LAST 2 SECONDS' and they 'very nearly believed this'.

Fortunately, among the few who had conniptions at the video, there were plenty who are sure this is all a joke and he's just off for a week on the Xbox (other consoles are available) playing FC 26.