Referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean says he will not have any issue in telling former colleague Simon Hooper how badly he got things wrong by not giving Wolves a penalty in their defeat at Manchester United on Monday.

Hooper and VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West have been stood down for this weekend by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb after they collectively failed to award Gary O’Neil’s side what looked like a blatant spot-kick in added time of the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.

Dean quit his role as a dedicated VAR and coach of up and coming officials in the summer in order to move into a role as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.

And the 55-year-old, who made his debut on the show last week, has warned his former colleagues that he “won’t be sitting on the fence” when it comes to discussing controversial decisions.

“I’ve had a chat with a few of the referees and made it clear that if they make a bad decision, I won’t be sitting on the fence or defending the indefensible and they were OK with that,” he told the PA news agency.

“I want to be able to do the job properly and give proper insight.

“Equally, I’ll be happy to highlight good decisions as it will be good to give refs some credit.”

Dean was an on-field referee for 27 years – 22 of those in the Premier League – and was undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the game, with his antics and exaggerated facial expressions prime content for online memes.

His final year for the PGMOL was spent at Stockley Park as a dedicated VAR and he admits he did not get the same satisfaction.

“For me refereeing was the best job in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to be paid for basically doing my hobby,” he said.

“But after 27 years of refereeing, and 22 in the Premier League, I felt like I had done my time and wanted to start the next chapter of my life.

“It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me. Having to travel down to London to then be stuck in a room, telling on-field referees whether their decisions were right or wrong didn’t give me the same enjoyment.

“I spoke to Howard about this and luckily he supported me in my move away from the role.

“I only ever tried to be the best referee I could be. I don’t shy away from the fact I did the job in a different way to some others, but this just came from my enjoyment of it.

“I loved my career, seeing Premier League football every weekend from the best seat in the house. I got to referee some amazing games like Man City against QPR when they won the league in the last minute, and make some great mates.”

Webb has had a tough induction to the top job at the PGMOL since taking over from Mike Riley in December but has been committed to making his officials accountable for their errors and also improved communication.

Dean insists the former World Cup final official is the “best man for the job”.

He added: “I have no doubt that Howard is the best man for the job, he has a real presence and is respected in the game.

“He’ll be in contact with Premier League managers this year and will have no problems being up front and honest with them – this communication should only help this season.

“Premier League football and decisions in big games will always get attention, and it is the nature of being a referee that you will get criticised when you make mistakes just like players.

“The difference for referees is that you will rarely get called out for refereeing a game well, or making good decisions. That’s why I’m not a fan of the idea of refs being interviewed after games, as they’d only want to be spoken to when they’ve made an error.”

:: Mike Dean has a new role as the face of the Family & Friends Railcard. Research from Railcard.co.uk reveals that fans opting to travel by train to football matches can save over £50 per adult and child just by using the Family & Friends Railcard.

Thomas Tuchel admitted footage of his spat with Antonio Conte was hilarious – but insisted the refereeing blunder that cost Chelsea a win over Tottenham remains no laughing matter.

It was last Sunday when emotions ran so high in the London derby that both bosses were red-carded after the final whistle.

Touchline tensions had been soaring and came to a head when Tuchel refused to immediately let go of Conte in the post-match handshake, affronted that the Italian had avoided eye contact.

This sparked further words being said and several backroom staff from both teams having to separate the two, before referee Anthony Taylor showed both men his red card.

Football Association charges have followed for Tuchel and Conte, but Tuchel accepts there was an element of comedy about the whole episode, which has led to a string of internet memes.

"Of course we laugh, it's very important to laugh about yourselves," said Chelsea's German head coach.

"I was laughing in the dressing room. It was the heat of the match and for me it was not that bad. It was a handshake and a bit too long and heavy a handshake. I admit it, but no harm was done at least from my side.

"The thing would have been very, very quickly ended if there were not 20 people around us that made it look much worse than it was. Of course I laughed about myself.

"I hope they [the FA] do not make more out of it. It's not that big a deal for me. I have nothing but the biggest respect for him and this will not change because of that incident."

What still firmly rankles with Tuchel is how Taylor and video assistant referee Mike Dean failed to call a foul on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella shortly before Tottenham snatched a last-gasp equaliser to force a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero appeared to pull Cucurella to the ground by his hair, and there was a pause in play while VAR official Dean took time to review the incident, but he decided against sending Taylor to the pitchside monitor and play was restarted.

Dean has since apologised for his error, but Tuchel said on Friday: "If the mistake is that big and that obvious, what's the point of not admitting it if the whole world sees it.

"I struggle a little to be fully impressed by the statement, I have to say. It is so clear and obvious, I still cannot understand how a referee cannot make the decision that was the right decision."

Tuchel later clarified to stress that he considered it was specifically Dean who "got it totally wrong" by not calling Taylor to take a closer look, and called for greater transparency in the decision-making process.

"Maybe they could explain the decisions on the field to everybody," Tuchel said.

Video Assistant Referee Mike Dean has admitted he "got it wrong" by not encouraging referee Anthony Taylor to go to the pitchside monitor and consider sending off Tottenham defender Cristian Romero in the feisty 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

The hosts led 2-1 going into the dying seconds at Stamford Bridge, before Spurs were awarded a late corner with Argentina international Romero appearing to pull Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair during the build-up.

There was a pause in play while Dean took time to review the incident at Stockley Park, but he decided against sending Taylor to the pitchside monitor to consider a red card and play was restarted.

Harry Kane then headed in a dramatic late equaliser before head coaches Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte clashed at full-time, with both receiving red cards after the final whistle.

While Dean acknowledged that he could not have given Chelsea a free-kick through VAR, he accepted that he should have sent Taylor to look at the incident.

In his column with the Daily Mail, Dean said: "Sometimes in hindsight, you realise you could have acted differently. I've now had time to reflect on Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge.

"I asked referee Anthony Taylor to wait while I looked at the incident involving Tottenham's Cristian Romero and Chelsea's Marc Cucurella. I could not award a free-kick as VAR, but I could recommend to Taylor that he visit the referee review area to consider a possible red card.

"In the few seconds I had to study Romero pulling Cucurella's hair, I didn't deem it a violent act. I've since studied the footage, spoken to other referees and, upon reflection, I should have asked Taylor to visit his pitchside monitor to take a look for himself.

"It goes to show that no matter how experienced you are - and I've spent more than two decades as a Premier League official - you are always learning."

Prior to the injury-time incident, there were also complaints from Chelsea over Spurs' first equaliser in the 68th minute.

A sliding challenge from Rodrigo Bentancur on Kai Havertz was deemed not to be a foul, before there were claims the flag should have gone up with Richarlison stood in an offside position and obstructing goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's view as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg stroked the ball home.

But Dean believes he was right to let Hojbjerg's goal stand, saying: "This one was relatively straightforward. I can't go back 44 seconds to look at Rodrigo Bentancur's potential foul on Kai Havertz.

"The question was whether Richarlison was interfering from an offside position. When Hojbjerg's shot was struck, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a view of the ball for me. His line of vision wasn't clearly blocked, so it was onside and 1-1."