Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has given his stance on being awarded titles if Manchester City were to be stripped of them, as Liverpool awaits the verdict
Former player and Amazon Prime TV pundit Wayne Rooney ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Second Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC
Wayne Rooney has discussed the potential for Man City's titles being re-allocated(Image: (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images))
Wayne Rooney has admitted that he would not accept Manchester United being awarded previous titles if Manchester City was to be stripped of them in the near future.
It follows reports stating that Man City has been found guilty of all but one charge placed upon it by the Premier League, following years of investigating and deliberating into the case.
While an official verdict is yet to be published, the alleged breaches included suggestions that the club had not submitted accurate financial details, did not co-operate with the investigations, and possible breaches of financial rules. City denies any wrongdoing, and there is the expectation that an appeal will be made if the club is found guilty by the independent panel.
Should the situation progress beyond that point, then the next step will surround the discussion of possible sanctions, which are wide-ranging.
Potential punishments could include points deductions and fines, as well as the possibility of retroactively stripping previous titles that were won during the period the alleged breaches happened.
As this falls between 2009 and 2018, Liverpool has a clear interest in the outcome, with the potential for a title or two to be awarded the club's way for previous seasons if that is the route the sanctions panel went with. Similar can be said of rivals Manchester United, following several campaigns that included finishing second behind its city rivals.
While some former players are more than happy to accept the possibility of receiving previous titles, Man United icon Rooney wouldn't be open to that possibility.
Wayne Rooney speaks into a microphone
Wayne Rooney doesn't want another winners medal(Image: PA)
Speaking on his podcast, Stick to United, he said: "I have heard Rio [Ferdinand] has come out saying about getting another Premier League medal... I wouldn't really feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, if I'm being honest.
"I don't think we deserve it, we didn't do enough that season to win the league. I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away.
"I've seen everything that has come out over the past few days and listening to people and I was putting myself in a Man City player's shoes... they're players, they're doing everything they can to try and win the Premier League title and in their mind they have done it, if those players have no understanding of what is going on above them, if that happened to me... I would be absolutely devastated.
"It might happen, they might take them [medals] away, but I wouldn't want it, because I don't think as a team we deserved it that year because obviously we didn't finish first.
"So when I see team-mates saying "I want a medal", I'm happy with the five I've won. I wouldn't want this one. Should they get it stripped for what the owners have done? Yeah maybe, but I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting it."
It's an interesting stance, considering how many players would be open to taking the medals and adding it to their trophy cabinet back home.
However, it remains to be seen whether that possibility will play out. For now, Liverpool and other clubs will be keeping a close eye to see what could follow for Man City and its case with the Premier League.