Mark Allen has called out Ronnie O'Sullivan and other snooker stars for placing excessive pressure on Chinese talent Wu Yize. The 22-year-old has been tipped for greatness after breaking into the world's top 16 and winning his first ranking title at the International Championship.
O'Sullivan recently predicted that Wu would become world number one within three years and win the world championship soon, comparing him to a modern-day Steve Davis. However, Allen believes such comments are designed to unsettle the young player.
“I'd rather just let the kid play,” Allen told Sportsboom. “He's still so young, don't put any more pressure on him. They're already doing it. I think Ronnie's very clever in the sense that if he sees a threat, he'll tuck you up. He'll try add more pressure.”
Allen recalled similar predictions O'Sullivan made about Stephen Maguire and Ding Junhui, suggesting that the remarks are a tactic to burden rivals. After defeating Wu 6-3 at the Players Championship, Allen advised him to improve his defensive game to reach his full potential.
