Michael van Gerwen attitude called out as darts star told his 'race is run'

Former star Colin Lloyd believes that 's 'race is run'. The Dutchman has endured a tricky season so far, and he is on the cusp of missing out on the play-offs for the second time in his career.

Van Gerwen has not won a PDC ranked televised event since November 2022 either, but the 36-year-old has consistently reiterated that he feels capable of bouncing back to his best form in the near future.

However, Lloyd has raised his doubts about Mighty Mike and questioned whether he has the motivation to truly excel anymore after hitting incredible heights in years gone by. He told : "I think his race is run. With what he's achieved in the game, is he that motivated anymore?

"He says he is. He says there's plenty left in him and that when he turns up, he's still the man to beat and one of the best players in the world. I'm sorry, but I've got to say we haven't seen Michael turn up for a while now. We've seen flashes of brilliance. Has it slipped into his head he has other priorities? He loves spending time with the missus and the kids going on holiday.

"Has that little bit of spark gone from Michael's game? He'll turn up and he's got all the good intentions of how a champion is. You don't turn up to make the numbers up, you turn up to win."

Van Gerwen sits four points outside of the Premier League play-off places and he must win night 16 to rescue his chances - though his fate is also in the hands of l, who will need to lose in the quarter-finals to open up that opportunity.

Nevertheless, the former world No. 1 remains confident that he will silence his critics at some point. He told Online Darts: "I've been working and practising a lot. Of course, it doesn't always pay out, but I'm doing the work. What you have to do and what you want to put in and, of course, at some point it will pay out. I know that."

"Sometimes when you're too busy, people don't know my schedule. Maybe only , maybe now, but no one else my schedule in the last 13, 14, 15 years, so it's difficult for them to judge about it. They've never been in that position. I have to just answer with performances and it's the only thing I can do."