Wayne Rooney has said he would not accept a 2012 Premier League winners' medal if Manchester City are stripped of the title, insisting his Manchester United side did not deserve it.
Rooney's stance on a potential medal
Speaking to Stick to United, Rooney said: "I have heard Rio 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."
He added: "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."
Background to the verdict
On Friday, Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 breaches of Premier League financial rules, charges relating to a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. This has led to calls for City to be stripped of titles won during that time, as well as for expulsion from the English top flight due to the club's failure to cooperate with officials and the severity of the case.
The 2011/12 campaign was a heartbreaking one for Sir Alex Ferguson's United, who finished second on the same points as their rivals but lost the title on goal difference.
Sympathy for City players
Rooney also expressed sympathy for City's players, saying: "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."
He concluded: "It might happen, they might take them 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."
