Luke Littler has pondered whether he's burning himself out as the darts star prepares for his Premier League debut.
The 17-year-old has played in three tournaments so far this month, with the Dutch Masters his latest competition.
Littler got revenge on Luke Humphries in the Netherlands, having lost to the world No 1 in the final of the World Championship at the start of the month.
However, he was unable to get the better of Van Gerwen on Sunday and, as a result, missed out on a second senior title of his career.
Luke Littler has pondered whether he's burnt himself out following his defeat in the final of the Dutch Masters
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Littler won't have too long to dwell on his defeat, with the opening night of the Premier League just days away.
Yet the teenager has worryingly admitted he could have burned himself out as he looks to thrive on another grand stage.
“Hopefully I haven't burnt myself out for the Premier League next week," he admitted.
"I'll take this as match practice and it goes into my World Series ranking, but I can't wait to go down to Cardiff."
While Littler was unable to beat Van Gerwen, he praised the Dutchman for getting the job done on home soil.
“I just went leg by leg, hold by hold, I took out 180s and he'd come back with one," continued the teenager.
"I wired the 170 and he gets it, throughout the game every hold was unbelievable.
"I put him under pressure but he just wouldn't miss.
“The crowd have been amazing, they wanted Michael to win and I get that. Respect to Mike.
"It went hold by hold and he finally got me in the end."
Littler is set to be the main attraction when the Premier League kicks off later in the week.
He'll face Humphries in his opening match, with many fans from all over the world expected to tune in to watch the action unfold.
Van Gerwen is also set to take part in the prestigious competition.
And the Dutchman was full of praise for Littler after beating the youngster to win the Dutch Masters title and pleasing the home fans in the process.
"Luke Littler will have a bright future ahead of him, we all know that," he said.
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Luke Littler was unable to get the better of Michael van Gerwen in their Dutch Masters clash
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"His scoring power is immense. He doesn't care about anything and does his own thing.
"I needed my best performance. To win this trophy and win against Luke Littler in front of the home crowd is amazing."
Humphries, meanwhile, says he'll manage his tournament appearances carefully after being beaten by Littler on Saturday.
"You've just got to try and improve one or two per cent if you can every year and keep getting better, because the pack keep getting better behind you, so once you reach the top you don't ever want to leave it," he said.
"It's important for me to manage my calendar.
Luke Littler is targeting glory in the Premier League as darts youngster continues to impress
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"I don't want to over exuberate and work too hard.
"I feel like if if you're playing absolutely everything, then you'll burn yourself out and you won't be able to perform in the most important tournaments.
"So for me, I'll pick and choose in the best way."
