Mark Lawrenson predicts when Gary Lineker will leave MOTD and names new host

Gary Lineker's declaration arsenic big of the BBC's flagship shot amusement Match of the Day is owed to expire astatine the extremity of the play and Mark Lawrenson has weighed successful connected his future

Former BBC Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson has admitted helium would not beryllium amazed if long-time big Gary Lineker near the amusement astatine the extremity of the season.

Lineker has hosted Match of the Day for 25 years, taking implicit the relation from Des Lynam successful 1999 aft helium jumped to ITV. However, determination has been overmuch speculation implicit Lineker's future, with his BBC declaration owed to expire adjacent year.

And Lawrenson, who worked alongside Lineker connected Match of the Day until helium near the BBC successful 2022, believes it volition beryllium up to the erstwhile England striker to determine erstwhile the clip is close for him to measurement away.

Lawrenson besides identified Mark Chapman, who has presented Match of the Day 2 for implicit a decade, arsenic the cleanable replacement for Lineker. "I inactive tune successful regularly," Lawrenson said successful an interrogation with the Metro connected behalf of Free Bets.

"It is inactive a precise bully programme, afloat stop. I cognize determination is simply a batch of speculation implicit Gary astatine the moment. Would it astonishment maine if helium near astatine the extremity of the season? Possibly no. But helium has earned the close to marque his ain decision, determination is nary uncertainty determination whatever.

"And successful Chappers, determination is simply a ready-made replacement if it goes that way. It volition beryllium up to Gary. Replacing Gary, it's a large relation for whoever takes it. Before him, Des and Jimmy Hill did it for years and were fantastic but astatine the extremity of it all, your clip comes.

"But the bully happening for Gary is, I deliberation helium volition decide. I don't deliberation the BBC volition decide. He volition determine if helium wants to go. He has earned the close to bash so. He's earned the close to leave.

"He's successful his 60s now, I'm not definite what other helium has going connected that could perchance beryllium a substitute for Match Of The Day due to the fact that erstwhile you archetypal permission it feels similar idiosyncratic has chopped your limb off. But helium tin bash immoderate helium wants."

Lineker did corroborate earlier this period that helium is in talks with the BBC implicit his future, stating connected his The Rest Is Football podcast: "I'm coming to the extremity of my declaration successful the summer. So it's earthy astatine immoderate constituent that you person to person conversations, and they've conscionable started."

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