Mike Dean Reveals The Most Intimidating Manager He's Come Across In Premier League Refereeing Career

Mike Dean has overlooked Sir Alex Ferguson as the most intimidating manager he has come across in his refereeing carer.

The flamboyant official has been a top-level official in the Premier League and spent time in the company of many of the game's biggest personalities.

He's announced he will be hanging up his whistle and cards at the end of the season and likely moving into a full-time role as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Dean has been reflecting on his career in the game and was asked which manager he found most difficult to deal with.

But surprisingly the Wirral native says Arsene Wenger was much tougher than Ferguson, who he says "wasn't as bad".

"It has to be Arsene [Wenger] when he was at Arsenal," Dean told BBC Sport.

"I always found it tough, not refereeing Arsenal in general but refereeing Arsenal when he was the manager.

"It was just his presence - he wanted the best for Arsenal all the time and if he could get any way of getting one over you he would do. Since he has finished football I have seen him and he has been great. Cross the white line and everyone is different, like referees. We are normal people."

On Ferguson, who had 17 touchline bans in 26 years, the 53-year-old said: "He used to get a lot of stick saying he'd come in and bang the door down. He would come in now and then to express his views if something had gone really badly, but he wasn't as bad as people made him out to be."

Dean is one of most colourful characters ever to referee and has provided a whole host of entertainment over the years - from no-look cards to celebrating playing advantage.

Image: PA

In a separate interview, Dean has revealed he was "nervous" and "scared" of making a decision in games with big players at first and name-dropped the likes of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira.