Gary Lineker heaped praise on Kelly Somers after she temporarily took over Match of the Day in his absence.

Somers assumed the hosting position for the revered football highlights programme for the first time on Sunday night, amid Lineker’s hiatus, and he was full of compliments for the 34-year-old. The show’s long-term future now looks sealed after the former Leicester striker announced he was quitting.

Lineker revealed his exit plans back in November. After a meticulous search, it was reported that the Beeb had elected not one but three replacements for the iconic ex-England forward, with Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates set to share hosting duties.

Though it appears that Somers might not be taking up a permanent post on MOTD, Lineker was confident in the Amazon Prime anchor’s capability to steer the show. His endorsement came during The Rest is Football podcast, where Lineker, alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, all expressed high regard for her skills.

Lineker broke the news to his colleagues about Somers’ one-off hosting role, prompting Richards to say: “Oh, she deserves a chance. She was excellent in the Euros.” Somers has worked at several major events such as the European Championships in 2021, the World Cup in 2022 and at Euro 2024.

Lineker then said: “Oh, she’s really good. I like Kelly a lot. And she’s very much a football reporter, person, commentator, broadcaster, etc. So we wish her well, but it would have already happened. She’ll do well. If you know what I mean.”

Shearer added: “She’ll be great.” Somers’ appearance on the show, alongside former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy and ex-Everton defender Ashley Williams, appeared to not only get the approval of Lineker but also that of some fans on social media.

Taking to X in the aftermath, one fan said: “Great job presenting” while another commented: “Excellent presenting as always”. A third added: “Great to see you on here, hopefully a permanent fixture going forward.”

While it appears that BBC chiefs may have filled the vacancy for the MOTD role, Somers’ impressive broadcasting background and popularity among fans could position her for future opportunities on Britain’s most prestigious football highlights show. Her swift ascendancy in sports media can be traced back to her post-university tenure working for Bournemouth’s media department, which spanned four years.

The broadcaster, originally from Watford, expanded her career with Premier League Productions, Channel 4, Amazon and talkSPORT. She also became the sixth female presenter of Match of the Day as she hosted the 2020 Community Shield coverage.

Lineker, who is believed to earn a yearly salary of £1.35million at the BBC, has been the face of the show for a quarter of a century. However, it appears that Chapman and Logan, both experienced in presenting Match of the Day 2 and MOTD, are set to make a permanent move, while Cates, daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, is anticipated to leave her position at Sky Sports to take on the role.