Kroenke says Manchester United are streets ahead of Manchester City off the pitch

“I would be much more proud if all our leagues were developed with the idea that you are competing on the basis of intellect and work and effort instead of just simply, 'I am going to throw dollars against the wall’,” said Kroenke.

With the rest of the Premier League struggling to keep pace withManchester City, Kroenke defended Arsenal’s self-sustainable model and made a point of acclaiming the Glazers for underpinning their phenomenal success by developing Manchester United infrastructure and revenues.

Kroenke’s own takeover at Arsenal differs fundamentally from the controversial leveraged model that has loaded debt on United, but he said that supporters should focus on the results.

“What was so tough about the Glazers’ situation?” said Kroenke. “They won. And they have increased revenues by a huge amount. If I was a fan of that club I would go ’wow’. Because how could you do it any better?”

When it was put to him that the Glazers had taken money out of the club, Kroenke said: “Some of their players have taken money out and maybe they haven’t performed. I think it’s time maybe for everybody to think a little bit.