Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson insists Manchester City must face a lasting punishment following the Premier League's guilty verdict on financial rule breaches; City has appealed the verdict and denies any wrongdoing

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has stated he would have no interest in receiving a retrospective Premier League title following Manchester City's guilty verdict — but he insists his former rivals must face sanctions that will leave a meaningful mark.

The Premier League announced last month that an independent Commission had determined City was guilty of all charges relating to serious violations of the top-flight's financial regulations across a nine-season spell, with the club found to have inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion.

The violations occurred between 2009 and 2018 and have prompted debate about whether City, which has lodged an appeal against the ruling and continues to assert its innocence, should be stripped of the silverware it claimed during that period.

However, Johnson, who featured in the attacking Liverpool outfit led by captain Steven Gerrard and manager Brendan Rodgers that narrowly missed out on the Premier League crown to City in 2013-14 by two points, has expressed no appetite for such an outcome.

Speaking to PariuriX.com, Johnson said: "You know, not getting the title in 2013-2014 is just one of those things that is unfortunate.

"At the time, we did everything to win the league and clearly should have done.

"We worked so hard every day because we wanted to lift the trophy because we deserved it after giving everything, sweat, tears and blood, but that was when the passion was there, not now. Man City just needs to be punished correctly.

"It would be the same for a guy like Steven Gerrard. He wouldn't want to win it this way. We all just wanted to win it at the time.

"To do it retrospectively because someone cheated would just feel like they shouldn't be allowed to have it in the first place.

"Man City just need to be punished in the right way. We can't do anything about it now. Even if they gave us the trophy now, it wouldn't be the same.

"I am not sure what the right punishment would be, but I don't think it should be financial, because what is the point then?

"Give them a £50M fine? That would be a drop in the ocean, so what's the point?

"I think it can only be points, relegation, something on those lines. It has to last a long time, so they are losing all their players, you know, losing the players they shouldn't even have.

"It has to be something that will take them a long time to recover from."