Rooney rejects Manchester City's controversial legacy and shocks United fans

After the case of the 115 charges

Wayne Rooney has taken a stance that may spark controversy, rejecting the idea of Manchester United being handed Premier League titles retrospectively should the Premier League strip Manchester City of some of theirs over the financial breaches case.

City were found guilty on most of the charges brought against them, a case involving 115 breaches dating back to the period between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons, along with accusations of failing to cooperate with the league's investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.

The final sanctions have not yet been announced. City are preparing to appeal, with the possibility they could be stripped of some of the titles they won during the period under investigation, according to "BBC Sport".

Rooney was part of the United side that finished the 2011-2012 season as runners-up to City. He wants no Premier League medal handed to him after the fact, even if his rivals lose the title.

Rooney told the "Stick to United" podcast: "Honestly, I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, because I don't think we deserve it. We didn't do enough that season to win the title."

He added: "I think about the players, they gave everything they had to win the league, and they believed they had actually done it. If they had no knowledge of what was happening at management level, and were then suddenly stripped of their medals, I would feel shocked and saddened if I were in their position."

The United legend concluded: "The titles may be taken away from Manchester City, but I don't want to receive them, because I don't feel that we as a team deserved the title that year. In the end, we didn't finish the season in first place."