Wayne Rooney has said Manchester United should not be awarded Premier League titles if rivals Manchester City are later stripped of them, asserting that his former club would not have "deserved" those honours.
Rooney’s comments make a direct plea against retrospective reassignment of trophies, suggesting that taking titles away from one club and handing them to another would not reflect genuine on-field achievement.
The remarks touch on a wider discussion about how football authorities should handle records and honours should a club be found guilty of serious breaches. Rooney’s position emphasises the idea that titles reflect what was won on the pitch, and that reassignment could be inappropriate.
He did not outline an alternative penalty in the quote provided, but his view adds a high-profile voice to debates about the sporting and ethical implications of retrospective sanctions and the status of league records if they are altered after the fact.