Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker says he was never tempted to become a football manager, and admits that talking about football is much easier than doing it.

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The former England striker said that he had no regrets spending his Saturdays in the Match of the Day studio rather than on the touchline.

"It’s just a dreadful job and everyone hates you," he said on The Graham Norton Show, broadcast this Friday. "There’s no job security, you’ve got to deal with players, which is difficult – a lot of them are awkward – agents, boardrooms that want to fire you instead of blaming themselves, and every supporter thinks they can do it better than you.

"It’s just a really tough job," he added. "Talking about football is a lot easier than doing it yourself!”

Lineker also admitted he had come in for plenty of stick for his facial hair, which has become a regular talking point online during Match of the Day: “It’s just a mid-life crisis. It divides opinion.”

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Gary Lineker joins Sir David Attenborough, Hollywood star Jessica Chastain and supergroup McBusted on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, at 10.35pm on BBC1.

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