Gary Lineker 'knows Euro 2024 is his last tournament' as England controversy continues

The Three Lions have won just one of their opening three games, with a 1-0 win over Serbia followed up by draws against Denmark and Slovenia.

Lineker even called England 's**t' after their 1-1 draw with Denmark on matchday two, with Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane responding to the former striker in the time since.

According to The Times, sports producers believe Lineker has become 'more confident' in sharing his opinions on-air since the launch of the Rest is Football podcast.

That podcast first aired last year, with Lineker often discussing football with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.

And one TV producer has told the publication that Lineker 'doesn't give a f**k' because he 'knows' Euro 2024 will be his last tournament.

“It’s a lot more frank and sweary — and in that format Lineker is more able to voice his opinion," they're quoted as saying.

“Plus I think he knows that this is his last tournament, and he doesn’t give a f**k."

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According to The Times, sports producers believe Lineker has become 'more confident' in sharing his opinions on-air since the launch of the Rest is Football podcast.

That podcast first aired last year, with Lineker often discussing football with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.

And one TV producer has told the publication that Lineker 'doesn't give a f**k' because he 'knows' Euro 2024 will be his last tournament.

“It’s a lot more frank and sweary — and in that format Lineker is more able to voice his opinion," they're quoted as saying.

“Plus I think he knows that this is his last tournament, and he doesn’t give a f**k."

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But Lineker said he saw some 'encouraging signs' from the Three Lions, despite their failure to pick up all three points.

“In the second half, I thought you could see that if this team continue to play a high press, chances will come," he said.

"And we may have been playing that way because Slovenia knew that a draw would get them through.

"So they were cautious and sat back a little bit. I understand that. But I saw enough to suggest that England are improving slightly.

“Now, I think there were downsides but I think there were real positives, particularly, I thought, when Cole Palmer came on.

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“We were still unbalanced on the left, no question about that, and I thought it was a little baffling that he waited so long for Anthony Gordon to come on, because I think [Phil] Foden was playing there but then he was switching with [Jude] Bellingham and I don’t think that really helped either of them in a way, because they were neither here nor there.

“I’m trying to put a positive spin on it.

"What I did see in the second half was energy and I haven’t seen energy, apart from the first half an hour of the first game, in the other performances.

“England have got through, they’ve won the group. they might play the Netherlands in the next round but they might not.

“So, I think there’s enough there in the second half, enough there just to make me think for the first time this England team has some energy, which they hadn’t before.”

Shearer then chipped in to say: “If I was a cynic, one would say one was frightened of getting criticised again.”

But Lineker insisted that wasn't the case and that he was 'telling it as I see it'.

“Me, frightened of being criticised? Never in my life frightened of getting criticised. I’m telling it as I see it," he continued.