Rooney insists he would not accept a Premier League medal if City titles are stripped

Wayne Rooney has doubled down on his stance that he would not want a Premier League winners’ medal even if Manchester City are stripped of titles following their charges verdict, saying Manchester United simply did not deserve to be crowned champions in those seasons.

City were found guilty of all but one of the charges brought against them by the Premier League, though the club have lodged an appeal against the independent commission’s ruling and maintained their innocence throughout. The prospect of severe punishment — potentially including the removal of titles — continues to hang over the club.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney was asked by host Kelly Cates whether he would accept a retrospective medal given United finished runners-up to City during the period covered by the charges. “It’s difficult. I look at it from the players’ point of view. I’m assuming all the players didn’t know what was going on,” Rooney said. “They went onto the football pitch and won the league, while we finished second. We didn’t finish first. Why would we want a medal for finishing second?”

Rooney had previously expressed the same sentiment on the Stick To United podcast, where he went into greater detail. “I don’t think we deserve it — we didn’t do enough that season to win the league,” he said. “I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away. 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.”

He also acknowledged the broader uncertainty surrounding City’s situation. “They could be fighting for the title or fighting for relegation. No-one knows where it’s going to end up,” Rooney said. “It’s a bad situation to be in, but as far as the players are concerned, all they can do is go out and try and do their job on the pitch. The powers above them and the independent panel will decide what happens in terms of the punishment.”

Rooney did leave room for the punishment itself, conceding that stripping the titles may be warranted. “Should they get it stripped for what the owners have done? Yeah, maybe,” he said, “but I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting it.”

City returned to domestic action with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool — their first fixture since the charges verdict was announced — as the appeal process continues.