Judd Trump warned of 'big challenge' he faces at World Snooker Championship as pundit admits 'I do worry for him'

 The Ace in the Pack has built his season around success in Sheffield - but his form has dipped in the run-in to the event

Judd Trump is determined to secure a second world title at the Crucible next month

Judd Trump heads to snooker's World Championship as a man under pressure.

And Alan McManus fears that the two table set-up at the Crucible won't suit the Ace in the Pack, as he goes in search of a second world title.

Trump made snooker history as the first player to earn more than £1m in prize-money before Christmas earlier in the season, but has struggled for form since the turn of the year.

And former Masters champion McManus told the Snooker Scene podcast that he now fears Trump will struggle in the opening rounds at the iconic Sheffield venue.

He told the Snooker Scene podcast: "I do worry for Judd, in a way. Forgetting for a second how good he is, and he obviously has as big a chance as anyone this year.

"But I am a little concerned about him when he plays on the two tables. It’s very cramped, it’s more cramped than you would imagine.

"I think that there are some players who it doesn’t suit. Neil Robertson would be another example.

"I think that the big challenge for Judd is getting down to one table. That’s going to be a big thing.

"He’s scheduled to play Shaun Murphy in the second round and then potentially he has Luca (Brecel) or Ding (Junhui) in the quarter-finals.

"Every section is strong, but the main challenge, for me anyway, is him getting down to one table. That’s when I think he’ll produce his best, like a few others that we’re going to talk about."

Judd Trump lifted the biggest prize in snooker back in 2019(Image: Getty Images)

Trump defeated Wizard of Wishaw John Higgins to win the 2019 World Championship, but was knocked out at the quarter-final stage last year - after falling in the first round in 2023.

He has since focused his whole season around peaking in time for the Crucible, skipping events including the Scottish Open, and McManus' fellow TNT Sport pundit Neal Foulds has backed Trump to secure a second crown - even if it isn't to be in 2025.

He said: "If you go 10 years down the line and he’s only a one time winner, I say only but everyone knows it’s a wonderful achievement to win it once.

"But if he ends his career or in a decade’s time has only won it once then I’ll be incredibly surprised by that.

"It’s hard to imagine that he won’t be World Champion again because he has been right at the forefront of everything for the last five or six years.

"I’ll be amazed if he didn’t lift that World Championship trophy at some point again."