Michael van Gerwen is struggling with an infection he “can’t shake off”, fellow darts star Vincent van der Voort has revealed. Oche icon MVG has been seeing doctors after picking up an illness while away in Thailand.
Dutch compatriot Van der Voort is a close pal of the three-time Ally Pally champ and has lifted the lid on Van Gerwen’s struggles. “He’s been struggling with a virus or infection for quite some time now,” he told the Darts Draait Door podcast.
“He picked it up during his holiday in Thailand back in early January, and he just hasn’t been able to shake it off. On top of that, he’s not in his best form. He was already at the doctors this morning.”
When it was suggested to Van der Voort a break might be the best course of action for Van Gerwen, he replied: “When is he supposed to do that? He’s not in a position to just skip tournaments.”
Despite his condition, Van Gerwen is expected to compete in the latest round of Premier League Darts in Cardiff on Thursday night. The Green Machine will take on World No.1 Luke Humphries in the quarter finals.
After that, he will jet off to Germany for a Euro Tour event. Van Gerwen is still to secure his place in the Players Championship Finals amid inconsistent form.
Van der Voort said: “The doctor told him it’s really unwise to spend so much time on planes, as that’s where bacteria spread easily. But what choice does he have?”
Van Gerwen sits fourth in the Premier League table despite having yet to win a night. He is behind Gerwyn Price, Humphries and leader Luke Littler, who have each won two nights.
Price was victorious in Nottingham last week and is bidding to give the Welsh fans something to cheer about in Cardiff after his country’s crushing defeat by England in the Six Nations.
He said: “I was watching the rugby last Saturday but I was in sunny Benidorm for a couple of days with the family – so I was probably better off not watching.
“But I’ll support them no matter what and, hopefully over the next couple of years, they’ll get better and I think it runs a lot deeper than just the team at the minute.
“Something is going on in the background that nobody knows about, whether it’s grassroots or whatever, but fingers crossed over the next couple of years they’ll rectify it.
“That’s why I know there’s a lot of pressure on me. I want to go out and perform for a Welsh crowd and give them something they can cheer – they didn’t have much to cheer last weekend.”
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