England legend Gary Lineker has revealed he fears he will be replaced as Match of the Day host by a ROBOT as the BBC try to save cash.
The retired ace, who netted 48 goals for England, said it was ‘only a matter of time’ before cyborgs replaced him and other pundits like Alan Shearer and Ian Wright.
He said the BBC had already got rid of the old Match of the Day set by replacing it with a CGI-style green screen at its MediaCityUK studio in Manchester.
Speaking on his Behind Closed Doors podcast with Danny Baker, Lineker claimed the BBC had ‘fired’ the old set.
He said: “We’ve basically fired the set at Match of the Day – it’s virtual reality, so we’re in a green room.
“It’s only a matter of time before they bring in robots... in fact, some would say they’ve already got robots in there!
“Obviously the BBC has to try and save costs even though it’s expensive to put in.”
Lineker is the BBC’s highest paid presenter earning £1.75million-a-year, but recently said he had ‘volunteered’ to take a pay-cut, saying last month: “I love my job at the BBC and I enjoy doing it.
“I’m currently negotiating a new contract with them and I’m volunteering to take less.”
Lineker also revealed how he was CANED by a German headmaster after being accused of beating up another kid.
The 58-year-old former Tottenham and Barcelona striker said he was just 10 when he was caned at primary school in Leicestershire.
He said: “Someone said that I hit some kid on the way home – I’ve never hit anyone in my life.
“I got called in and I said, ‘It wasn’t me’, and we had this German headmaster and he said, ‘Put you hands out’ and he whacked six on each hand – it was so painful... he’d be locked up now.”