BBC pundit Danny Murphy has expressed his gratitude to outgoing Match of the Day host Gary Lineker for his “welcoming” and “warm” nature.
Lineker is set to leave his role as the face of the BBC show after the current season, although he will continue with the broadcaster until at least the 2026 World Cup, also leading their FA Cup coverage next season.
Having taken over the reins of Match of the Day from Des Lynam in 1999, the 63-year-old has become a staple of the programme. Ex-Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Murphy frequently featured alongside Lineker on the show, and believes the former England striker turned broadcaster will be greatly missed, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Murphy recalled: “I’ll never forget how he [Lineker] treated me and how welcome he made me, how good he made me feel. You know, Gary’s a friend of mine, and he’s been phenomenal to me since the day I walked in the building.
“And a warm, charismatic, intelligent man who knows his football and has become part of everybody’s furniture, if you like, on a Saturday evening. I’ll just tell you quickly, I mean, from my first… I’d done a few shows, and he was always great.”
Murphy also highlighted Lineker’s deep understanding of the game, saying: “[He is] just a very intelligent football man, loves his football. You know, him and his sons, they all love the football as well. And he’s doing so many good things.”
“He’s getting on a bit, just because he looks good for his age doesn’t mean he isn’t old. He’s getting tired in his old age, probably wants to just cook his Sunday roast.”
When quizzed about who could step into his Lineker’s shoes, Murphy singled out a fellow BBC colleague, saying: “I feel that they’ve got [a candidate], Mark Chapman, who I work with a lot on Sundays. I think he’s a brilliant presenter and very, very knowledgeable on sport and football.”
“Somebody who is ready-made for it. Whether he wants it or not, I don’t know. That’s a different question, you’d have to ask him. But he would be the glaring, obvious choice for me.”