Luke Littler and Gian van Veen practice in separate rooms after Premier League row

Luke Littler’s rivalry with Gian van Veen appeared to take another twist on Thursday night.

The pair were both in action on night 10 of the Premier League in Brighton.

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However, they practiced in separate rooms prior to their opening matches at the event.

It follows their heated meeting in Manchester last week as Van Veen beat Littler in the quarter-finals.

The world No.1 had been visibly frustrated on stage by his Dutch opponent’s pace of play.

Littler could be seen throwing his hands in the air, which was spotted by Van Veen.

Following his victory, the Giant criticised the world champion’s behaviour in a post-match interview.

His remarks were later laughed off on social media by Littler, though.

Littler and Van Veen separated

The duo were seemingly kept apart back stage prior to Thursday’s action.

Sky Sports’ Emma Paton confirmed the news during their live coverage from the Brighton Centre.

However, there are two separate practice rooms at the venue which are used by players.

As a result, the move could have instead been down to Littler and Van Veen potentially meeting in the semi-finals.

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Their bust-up had dominated the build-up to night 10, though, after the fiery scenes in Manchester.

Littler’s reaction drew criticism from Dutch darts star Vincent van der Voort, who has called for the teenager to have his phone taken away.

The 19-year-old shared a screenshot of the PDC premier events he has won to his Instagram story following his defeat to Van Veen.

Alongside the image, he wrote: “Goodnight god bless thank you Manchester.”

Littler later re-shared a post detailing Van Veen’s comments with three laughing emojis.

Clayton wins night 10

Fans were denied the chance for the pair to renew their rivalry on Thursday, though.

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Both players lost in the quarter-finals as Stephen Bunting saw off the challenge of Littler.

Van Veen was also beaten in his opening match by eventual runner-up Michael van Gerwen.

Jonny Clayton went on to claim his third nightly win by seeing off Van Gerwen in the final.

Littler and Van Veen could meet in the semi-finals next week in Rotterdam.

They will be on the same side of the draw once again for night 11 at the Rotterdam Ahoy.

With six nights remaining in the league stage, Littler is second behind Clayton, whilst Van Veen currently sits in fifth place in the standings.