Gary Lineker's telling six-word response to new-look Match of the Day

Gary Lineker has performed a dramatic U-turn on his claim he wouldn’t watch Match of the Day by now suggesting he ‘can’t miss’ it. The former England striker saw his long spell hosting the BBC programme ended last season following online controversy.

And the programme returned to screens over this weekend with new joint host Mark Chapman taking the reins. Despite Lineker’s controversial exit, he made his feelings on the BBC programme very clear.

He shared a video of Match of the Day’s opening titles on his Instagram story alongside the caption: “Can’t miss Match of the Day.” Lineker’s praise comes shortly after he suggested that he would rarely tune into the programme on Saturday nights.

Asked for his thoughts on the new presenting team that includes Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, Lineker said: "I haven’t seen them yet to speak to them, but I will do – they’ll be fine and they’ll do a great job. I’ve known them all for years, they’re top presenters.

"I’ll be watching, but probably on iPlayer … I don’t think I’ll be watching on Saturday. Maybe the odd time, if I’m in."

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Having tuned in, Lineker would have been left smiling as his replacement Chapman kicked off the programme with a joke at his predecessor’s expense. He said: “The Premier League is back and Match of the Day is back.

“You may have seen and heard there’s a big change to the show this season, and that is that Wayne Rooney has joined is us as a regular pundit. Some things don’t change though, and Alan (Shearer) is still here.”

Elsewhere, Cates has suggested that Lineker has yet to be in touch ahead of her respective debut, while she has not sought his advice either. She said: "No he hasn't got in touch and I haven't got in touch with him, but not because we're not avoiding each other. We just don't know each other. I know Gary to say hello to, We just don't know each other that well.

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"And I think Chappers was saying that Gary said: ‘Well, why would I tell three broadcasters how to do their job?’ which is very lovely of him because he was brilliant at the job and adored. And as much as he was a controversial character at times, any focus group that was researching will tell you how much he was adored in that role.

"So I think from my point of view, the reason not to do it would be, I don't want to be Gary. I think there's a temptation to try and be someone else, and I think that you get a job because of yourself. And if then you try to be someone else, it can all just get a bit confused.

"I don't need another thing to think about. I don't need to be sitting there thinking: ‘What would Gary do? It's not a decision not to. It's just we don't have that relationship."

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