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Kelly Cates, the new addition to 'Match of the Day' this season, has revealed that she hasn't sought advice from Gary Lineker, as she doesn't aspire to "I don't want to be" him.
The Sky Sports presenter also pledged not to utilize her platform for advocating political and social causes, unlike her BBC predecessor. The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish is set for a busy season, juggling coverage of 215 live Premier League matches on Sky Sports while being part of the fresh MOTD team alongside Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.
However, Cates hasn't reached out to the former England striker for guidance regarding her new role.
Speaking to Mirror Football before the launch of the new Sky Sports Premier League season, she said: "No he hasn't got in touch and I haven't got in touch with him, but not because we're not avoiding each other.
"We just don't know each other. I know Gary to say hello to... We just don't know each other that well.
"And I think Chappers (Mark Chapman) was saying that Gary said, 'Well, why would I tell three broadcasters how to do their job?' which is very lovely of him because he was brilliant at the job and adored.
"And as much as he was a controversial character at times, any focus group that was researching will tell you how much he was adored in that role.
"So I think from my point of view, the reason not to do it would be, I don't want to be Gary. I think there's a temptation to try and be someone else, and I think that you get a job because of yourself.
"And if then you try to be someone else, it can all just get a bit confused. I don't need another thing to think about. I don't need to be sitting there thinking, 'What would Gary do?' It's not a decision not to. It's just we don't have that relationship."
Lineker, 64, departed the BBC flagship show after a 26-year stint in May following a controversial social media post shared from the Palestine Lobby group, featuring an image of a rat - a historic anti-Semitic insult. Lineker "apologized unreservedly."
Cates added: "I haven't ever really used my social media for that. So it isn't something that I'm going to have to change because it's not ever what I've used it for. I think that in a lot of cases, I'm not the best placed person to talk about some of those issues.
"And I think there's a tendency to believe that if somebody isn't talking about something they don't care about it, and I think it's perfectly possible to care about something and keep quiet and let experts talk about it, which I think is a lot of the time better.
"I always feel like if I couldn't cope well with being challenged heavily on it, then I shouldn't be putting my opinion out publicly. Whereas I think there are people they don't necessarily need to be particularly qualified in the area, but are people who are much better informed who can do that."
Sky Sports will launch technological innovation this season with an enhanced Super Sunday featuring up to four matches simultaneously on the Multiview programme. More than 30 additional matches will be broadcast on Sundays from clubs competing in Europe on Thursday.
English (US) ·