Man Utd should not get City’s titles if stripped, says Rooney, backs relegation

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said his former club should not be awarded Premier League titles if Manchester City are stripped of them over financial rule breaches, but believes City will be relegated as punishment.

City were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. Sanctions have yet to be announced, while the club plans to appeal against the decision.

The charges relate to the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, while City were also accused of failing to co-operate with Premier League investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.

One possible sanction is for City to be stripped of top-flight titles. The club have won the Premier League eight times since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2009, with three of those titles coming during the period covered by the financial allegations.

Rooney was part of the Manchester United team that finished runners-up to City in the 2011-12 Premier League season, but said he would not want to receive the title retrospectively.

Speaking 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.

“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.

“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.

“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 team-mates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea both posted on social media after news of the guilty verdict emerged, suggesting they should be awarded retrospective title wins.

Rooney, however, said he was satisfied with the five Premier League medals he had already won.

“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,” said Rooney.

“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.

“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.”

While Rooney does not want Manchester United to be awarded City’s titles, he believes the reigning champions should face relegation.

“I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated,” said the 40-year-old. “However that happens I don’t know but I think we’re going to see them get relegated.”

Rooney 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.

“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.

“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.”

Comments

Join the conversation: Sign in

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.