City have spent around £200million on players since the mega-rich Sheikh Mansour took over.
But United chief executive David Gill insists his club are in a better position - even though £43.3m of their £80m annual profit will go towards paying interest on the club's £650m debt created by the Glazers' takeover.
Attendances and sponsorship mean wages and transfers come out of what comes in - unlike at Chelsea and now also at City.
Gill said: "We are not at the whim of someone pulling out and losing interest.
"United has been around since 1878 and I just feel our job is to make sure it is still around for many more years in a sensible fashion.
"That is by generating our own income, whether it be through players or generating capital income to take it forward."