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Phil Neville joins Match of the Day team to help replace Alan Hansen Phil Neville joins Match of the Day team to help replace Alan Hansen
(35 minutes later)
Phil Neville will join a new-look Match of the Day team for next season as the BBC prepares for life after Alan Hansen. Sky have already got Gary Neville, while BT Sport’s team of pundits for the new Premier League season will include his former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand – when his duties at new club Queens Park Rangers allow. But life without the familiar figure of Alan Hansen on the sofa for the first time in more than 22 years will begin for Match of the Day next Saturday with... Phil Neville.
Neville’s infamous monotone commentary on England’s opening World Cup match against Italy – which prompted 445 complaints – has not prevented the BBC from appointing the former Manchester United and Everton midfielder to its team of pundits for the highlights show. Still employed as United’s first-team coach, Neville Jr. was on Wednesday named as Hansen’s replacement for the 50th season of the highlights show despite his less-than-impressive debut display at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
He will also be covering games with BBC Radio 5 Live and working on Football Focus. Ruud Gullit and Rio Ferdinand will join the MOTD team alongside regulars Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Danny Murphy. The monotone co-commentary on England’s opening World Cup match against Italy – which prompted 445 complaints – led to widespread derision on social media and beyond, described by Neville himself as “pretty brutal”.
Neville said on Twitter he was “delighted to join BBC MOTD for the new season, can’t wait to get started with the team”. After his World Cup debut – his first ever match as a TV co-commentator – Neville admitted that the reaction on social media had been “pretty brutal” but that the public reaction after the three following games he had co-commentated on had been “amazingly positive”. “Co-commentary is harder than I thought it would be,” he acknowledged at the time. “I will get better. I’m glad I helped everybody sleep!”
Yet that honest self-assessment has not prevented the BBC from placing their faith in an ex-player who won more than 50 England caps but will perhaps be best remembered for giving away the penalty against Romania at Euro 2000 which saw Kevin Keegan’s side eliminated in the group stages.
Neville will also be covering games with BBC Radio 5 Live and working on Football Focus, while Ruud Gullit and Ferdinand will occasionally join the MOTD team alongside regulars Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Danny Murphy.
Neville – who retired from playing at the end of 2012/13 having joined Everton in 2005 after 10 seasons at Old Trafford – said on Twitter he was “delight [sic] to join BBC MOTD for the new season, can’t wait to get started with the team”. Brother Gary joined Sky Sports at the start of the 2011–12 season, taking over as match analyst on Monday Night Football from Andy Gray and was named best sports pundit award at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March.
Gary Lineker starts his 16th year as the Match of the Day presenter having taken over from Des Lynam in 1999. He will be without Hansen for the first time after the former Liverpool captain decided to bow out after the World Cup in Brazil.
Delight to join @BBCMOTD for the new season cant wait to get started with the team #50years http://t.co/GtlMFfGDRUDelight to join @BBCMOTD for the new season cant wait to get started with the team #50years http://t.co/GtlMFfGDRU
Gary Lineker starts his 16th year as the Match of the Day presenter and his first without Hansen present as a pundit.