Phil Neville took quite a bit of stick for his role as pundit on Match Of The Day alongside Alan Shearer last season, but with his acceptance of a coaching role at Valencia, the BBC were forced to find a replacement.
And they have done, in the form of former employee Ian Wright, who had been doing work as a pundit for ITV since he left the BBC in 2008.
Back on MOTD. This is what it's means to me. http://t.co/m9YeKbpsez ??
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) July 14, 2015
Wright originally left the BBC seven years ago because he was complaining about being treated like a "comedy jester", and publicly declared his unhappiness with this role on MOTD:
I feel like I am just there as a comedy jester to break the ice with Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen, who just do run-of-the-mill things. I can't do that any more. People want something different.
His new old colleague expressed his delight at the announcement:
Looking forward to having you back on @BBCMOTD ???? @IanWright0 Wright Wright https://t.co/2T4DHfj1P8
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) July 14, 2015
Roy Keane is said to be devastated.
