Foxes legend Gary Lineker, delighted at last season's brilliant promotion season, wants to see his home-town club pick up there they left off with a powerful start to their Coca-Cola Championship campaign.

In the City yesterday for Leicester's launch of their bid to be one of England's World Cup venues with games at an expanded Walkers Stadium if they win the rights for the 2018 competition, Lineker wasted no time in turning his attention to his favourites.

He said "A good start is essential to get out of this league. It is a big ask to have two promotions running but it would be fabulous to think Leicester could get back into the Premiership where OF COURSE they truly belong!

"They have done really well and Nigel Pearson has done a brilliant job to take them back into the Championship now and it will be interesting to see how they cope.

"It is a step up in class, not a huge one, and I think they will be able to cope. It depends on who they bring in between now and the start of the season and it also depends on confidence. That plays a big part and so does being lucky with injuries but if we can get off to a good start, that will make all the difference."

Lineker naturally would love to see his home city be one of the hosts of a World Cup game, having played in two Finals campaigns himself, and said "Leicester has a great passion for all its sports, rugby, cricket and of course football which has always been the number one so it has a lot going for it.

"It is a multi-cultural city nowadays, having many ethnic groups, which will obviously appeal to FIFA all Leicester can do is show that they have a very strong bid.