Presenter joins Match of the Day, Gary Neville exit - Sky Sports Super Sunday nightmare scenario

Sky Sports remains one of the main broadcasters for the UK's coverage of the Premier League, but the company could be about to undergo major changes.

The news that Gary Lineker will no longer host Match of the Day on the BBC has led to increased speculation as to who could be the former striker's replacement.

Sky have several presenters, broadcasters and analysts who would likely be interested in replacing Lineker should the opportunity be offered to them.

It was confirmed in December last year that Sky had reached a four-year agreement to broadcast a minimum of 215 of the 380 available Premier League fixtures starting from the 2025/26 season. Sky currently compete with TNT Sports and Amazon Prime for the rights to broadcast matches, but still have the majority of the top-flights games on their channels.

But as the football broadcast landscape looks set to change in the months ahead, it is likely to have a major impact in Sky's delivery of their Premier League coverage.

With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the potential nightmare scenario that could face Sky with their Premier League coverage.

Kelly Cates moves

Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates is one of the frontrunners who could replace Gary Lineker as the host of Match of the Day. It was confirmed that Lineker would be leaving his role with the BBC's flagship football analysis programme at the end of the season.

Ever since, there has been speculation as to who could replace Lineker for the 2025/26 season. As well as Cates, the likes of Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Alex Scott have all been linked with the job as the BBC search for their replacement for Lineker, who has hosted the programme since 1999.

According to The Times, Sky Sports is gearing up for a battle to retain presenter Cates amid speculation she could move to the BBC. Cates is currently one of the lead presenters for Sky Sports' coverage of the Premier League, regularly featuring on the Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football and Super Sunday.

If Cates was to leave Sky to host Match of the Day, it would see the company needing to seek a replacement just as the BBC are now with Lineker.

Gary Neville departure

Gary Neville has been one of the main faces of Sky Sports' coverage of the Premier League for more than a decade. The Manchester United legend debuted on Monday Night Football in 2011 and has been a regular voice on the top flight ever since.

This season, though, has seen Neville take a step back from his roles with Sky's football coverage. The 49-year-old is no longer a regular on Monday Night Football, with Jamie Carragher instead presenting the show alongside host Dave Jones and a guest, but is still expected to periodically appear on the show.

The Mirror reported back in October that Neville will continue to be part of Sky's coverage for Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football and Super Sunday. However, Sky's collaboration with NBC means he will occasionally be part of the United States-based company's coverage of the Premier League.

Neville is thought to be making more time for his new projects based in the US, which include his appearances on NBC as well as the new The Overlap US podcast. It remains to be seen how often the former Man United captain will make appearances in the studio on matchdays for Sky in the months ahead, with the report also stating that he is expected to travel to New York to appear in the NBC studio once plans are finalised with Sky.

With Neville slowly reducing the amount he appears on Sky Sports' coverage, his exit would be a hammer blow for the broadcaster should he choose to focus his attention elsewhere.

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