BBC presenter Manish Bhasin has spoken out about the prospect of taking over from Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, after several fans asked him to step in as host.

Lineker, who is stepping down after almost 26 years at the helm of the BBC’s flagship football show, will begin his long farewell to the program this weekend after the Beeb opted to appoint a new presenter from the start of next season.

Fans have been hotly speculating about who should succeed Lineker in the Match of the Day chair, with Mark Chapman, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates all in the frame.

Several supporters took to social media this week to support Bhasin for the role.

Bhasin, 48, is a sports presenter best known for hosting the BBC’s The Football League Show, which – just like Match of the Day – showed highlights of the Championship, League One and League 2.

Prior to his appearance on the highlights show, Bhasin hosted Football Focus and has worked on Matchday Live for Premier League Productions since 2016.

BBC presenter Manish Bhasin has spoken out about the prospect of hosting Match of the Day.

The search for Gary Lineker’s successor began last week after the BBC announced he would step down at the end of the season from its flagship football show after almost 26 years.

Some fans call for Bhasin to replace Lineker after his work on The Football League Show

The programme, which immediately followed Match of the Day, moved from the BBC to Channel 5 at the end of the 2015–16 season.

“Your time has finally come,” one fan posted on X alongside a photo of Bhasin hosting The Football League Show.

“The people’s champion,” another added in response to the post.

A third commented: “That’s actually it, he’s the only guy on the show.”

Although Bhasin is not currently on the Beeb’s books, he has experience hosting Match of the Day 2 and currently works on Premier League football, so he could present an alternative candidate for the BBC.

In response to the comments, Bhasin appeared to suggest that the Match of the Day gig was nothing more than a pipe dream, replying: “I wish! Thank you for your kind comments.

According to a survey conducted by a market research company Ipsos This week, fans would love to see recurring Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer take the reins of the series.

When respondents were asked to vote on who they would like to see succeed Lineker, 22 per cent chose the Newcastle and Blackburn legend.

One called Bhasin a “people’s champion”, while another said he was “the only guy on the show”.

Mark Chapman, who hosts Match of the Day 2, is one of the favorites to succeed Lineker

It seems Bhasin doesn’t feel ready to take on the role of presenter, as he replied, “I wish!”

Chapman, who hosts the show’s sister show Match of the Day 2, was the second favorite to succeed Lineker among fans, with 20 percent.

Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, is said to be keen to take the show in a different direction and hopes a new presenter can attract a younger audience to the programme.

Several presenters are therefore set to replace Lineker, with Logan, Scott, Cates and Kelly Somers all being touted as contenders.

Scott came third in the Ipsos poll with 12 percent of the vote, while Logan was fourth with 10 percent.