Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has said he would not accept a retrospectively awarded Premier League medal for the 2011-12 season.
Rooney said this as ex-teammates have shown interest in claiming medals if Manchester City is stripped of the title after the club was found guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges.
According to the former England international, he doesn't think the team deserves to wear the medal.
Speaking on Stick To United, he 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," Rooney admitted. "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."
Rooney also sympathised with City, 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," he said. "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 by cementing his position on retrospective awards. "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," Rooney added. "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."
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