Gary Lineker nominates two England stars and former title winner to replace him as MOTD presenter

GARY LINEKER has tipped two England stars as potential replacements for him on Match of the Day.

And he also nominated a former Leicester City Premier League title winner as another contender to step into the much-loved show’s hotseat in the future.

The legendary ex-England striker worked as a pundit on the long-running programme before replacing Des Lynham as presenter in 1999.

Lineker hit the headlines back in March after he criticised the Government’s treatment of refugees and likened Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s language to that used in 1930s Germany.

That led to the BBC suspending him, although he returned to hosting duties after a huge show of support from colleagues and the football world.

The 62-year-old is now back in the famous chair and recently launched podcast alongside MOTD pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

During the latest episode, the topic of Lineker’s potential long-term successor came up, with Shearer first bringing up the name of Tottenham attacker James Maddison.

The Newcastle icon said: “I think James Maddison because I think he talks really, really well.”

Lineker then added: “He’s very eloquent and he’s very good tactically. I think he’s the best of the players in the post-match interview.”

He then brought up ex-Leicester star Kasper Schmeichel before throwing Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount’s name into the mix, saying: “Kasper Schmeichel as a goalkeeper, very good. His dad’s done lots of punditry, that’s not a bad shout.

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“Can you remember Alan, when we did the World Cup in Moscow and there were three young footballers?

“It was Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon. They came to watch us do the TV shows. And Mason Mount sat in my chair and was doing a few things to camera, and he wasn’t too bad.

“Who knows, maybe Mason Mount, we’ll see.”

But Micah Richards has his own ideas – and it was another Leicester City player he had in mind.

The ex-Man City ace said: “A little bit left field, but Conor Coady. In terms of people want strikers, but I’m going with a defender.

“He knows the game really well, speaks really good. I’ve worked with him on Match of the Day and he’s done Sky as well.”