Rooney says Man Utd shouldn't get City's titles if they lose them

Wayne Rooney, a former striker for Manchester United, has said his old club should not get any Premier League titles if Manchester City loses theirs over financial rule violations. He thinks City will face relegation as a punishment.

City was found guilty of most of the 115 charges against them by the Premier League. No punishments have been announced yet, and the club plans to appeal the decision.

The charges cover the years from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City is also accused of not cooperating with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.

One possible punishment is for City to lose their top-flight titles. The club has won the Premier League eight times since Sheikh Mansour took over in 2009, with three of those titles during the time of the financial allegations.

Rooney was part of the Manchester United team that finished second to City in the 2011-12 Premier League season. He said he would not want to receive the title retroactively.

On the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said, "I wouldn’t feel comfortable about accepting another Premier League medal if I’m being honest, because I don’t think we deserve it. We didn’t do enough that season to win the league."

He added, "I’m thinking as their players, they’re there doing everything they can to win the Premier League title and in their minds they’ve done it."

Rooney continued, "And, if those players have got no understanding of what’s going on above them, then if that happened to me, if all of a sudden Manchester United have been doing the same and I’m getting my Premier League medals taken away from me, I’d be absolutely devastated."

He said, "They might take them away but I wouldn’t want it because I don’t feel as a team we deserved it that year because we obviously didn’t finish first."

Rooney’s former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea both posted on social media after the guilty verdict came out. They suggested they should get the titles they missed out on.

But Rooney said he is happy with the five Premier League medals he won during his career. He said, "When I’ve heard of ex-team-mates and people saying, ‘we’ve won another medal’, I’m happy with the five I’ve won."

Rooney added, "I wouldn’t want this one just sat there… 15 years later or whatever it was you get a medal because City cheated. I wouldn’t feel comfortable."

He asked, "The question is, would I want to receive that medal for finishing second? No. Some players might. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable for accepting a Premier League medal for finishing second."

Even though Rooney does not want Manchester United to be awarded City’s titles, he believes City should be relegated. He said, "I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated. However that happens I don’t know but I think we’re going to see them get relegated."

Rooney also added, "I’d put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons."

He explained, "If you’re just putting them in the Championship, and I get that’s a massive punishment, they’re going to come back up. Where, I feel if they have got restrictions… League Two, whatever… that could be very difficult for them."

Rooney said, "For instance, if they got a 20-point deduction for the next three years then players won’t want to stay there. If it’s Championship for a season, you could talk players round. I’d go as big as I can really."