Wayne Rooney Rejects 2012 Title if Man City Stripped

Wayne Rooney has declared that Manchester United does not 'deserve' the 2011-12 Premier League title and he would be uncomfortable accepting a winner's medal should Manchester City be stripped of the crown. His stance contrasts with that of former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and David De Gea, who have publicly suggested they should be awarded the title.

The Premier League has charged Manchester City with over 100 alleged breaches of financial rules, leading to speculation about how their past successes should be judged. Rooney, however, believes his former side was not worthy of the title that season.

'I don't think we deserve it, we didn't do enough that season to win the league,' Rooney stated on the 'Stick To United' podcast. 'I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away.'

Rooney added that he would be 'devastated' if he were in the position of a Manchester City player who had no knowledge of any wrongdoing. 'It might happen, they might take them [medals] away, but I wouldn't want it [a medal] because I don't think as a team we deserved it that year because obviously we didn't finish first.'

Manchester United narrowly missed out on the 2011-12 title on the final day of the season. They secured a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, with Rooney scoring the decisive goal. At that moment, City were trailing 2-1 at home to Queens Park Rangers, needing a win to clinch the championship. However, late goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero snatched the title away from United.

Ferdinand and De Gea have both expressed their views on the situation. De Gea posted on X (formerly Twitter), 'So... Let's talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then?' while Ferdinand commented, 'Another premier league medal to be added to the cabinet.'