Ex-Premier League referee: Liverpool warned of Mike Dean ‘danger’ as ‘huge’ U-turn revealed
There is one key danger for Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League if Mike Dean stays on as a dedicated VAR official, according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee warned that Dean’s status may cause tension between the less experienced officials.
The 54-year-old announced his retirement as a referee earlier this year and looked set to leave officiating all together with a move into the media mooted.
The Daily Mail reported last week (1 July) that a U-turn had been made and he will be a dedicated VAR official for the 2022-23 campaign.
“My first thoughts were he probably didn’t want to join because of Mike Riley and now Mike Riley’s gone he’ll accept the post and work with whoever is going to come into the post,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“For me, I think this is a huge positive. Despite the criticisms that Mike Dean receives on occasion, he is a very good decision maker and has that strength.
“Where the danger is, we’ve got four new referees introduced last year and one this year, that’s five in the last 18 months and all of a sudden we’ve got Mike Dean sat on their shoulder.
“You know what Mike Dean is like, he’s that persuasive with his decision-making. I think it’s likely there will be a degree of friction between that young referee out on the field and Mike Dean in the VAR room.
“The other side of it is, he will be helping those young referees with his amount of experience. It’s a balancing act.”
In other news, a Liverpool 21-year-old has agreed terms with a Premier League club.