Wayne Rooney says Manchester City will get relegated

Manchester United have spent years watching Manchester City establish themselves as one of the dominant forces in English football.

The rivalry between the two Manchester clubs has produced some of the most memorable title battles in Premier League history.

United famously lost the 2011/12 title to City on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s dramatic stoppage-time winner against QPR.

City have since gone on to win eight Premier League titles following Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2009, with three of those triumphs falling within the period covered by the financial allegations.

The Premier League case has now reached a major turning point, with an independent commission finding City guilty of the majority of the charges brought against them, although sanctions have yet to be announced and the club plans to appeal the decision.

The financial allegations cover the period between 2009-10 and 2017-18, while City were also found to have failed to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.

Wayne Rooney has now delivered a strong verdict on the punishment Manchester City should face, with the Manchester United legend calling for the club to be relegated.

Wayne Rooney says Manchester City will get relegated

Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Wayne Rooney said, “I do think we’re going to see City getting relegated.”

The former United striker admitted he was unsure exactly how that would happen, but made it clear that he believes the punishment should go far beyond a simple points deduction.

“I’d put them in the lowest league they can go in and then put restrictions on them in terms of how much money they can spend for the next three or four seasons,” Rooney added.

The 40-year-old believes sending City to the Championship for one season could allow them to recover too quickly.

“If you’re just putting them in the Championship, and I get that’s a massive punishment, they’re going to come back up,” he said.

Rooney suggested dropping them further down the English football pyramid could have a much greater impact on the club’s ability to rebuild.

“Where, I feel if they have got restrictions… League Two, whatever… that could be very difficult for them,” he continued.

He also proposed the possibility of a significant points deduction being applied over multiple seasons.

“For instance, if they got a 20-point deduction for the next three years then players won’t want to stay there,” Rooney said.

The former United captain finished by making clear that he would favour the strongest punishment available.

“If it’s Championship for a season, you could talk players round. I’d go as big as I can really.”

Rooney’s comments come as City await the next stage of the process, with the club expected to appeal the commission’s findings.

The verdict has also prompted reactions from some of Rooney’s former United team-mates, with Rio Ferdinand appearing to suggest he could be in line for another Premier League winners’ medal.

David de Gea also joined the conversation on social media, appearing to question how many Premier League titles he now has following the verdict.

For now, though, no retrospective title changes have been made, with any sporting consequences dependent on the eventual sanctions and appeal process.