Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are united in their belief that managers should be able to operate without interference from boardroom level.

The pair have expressed unease over the future roles of club managers in Britain after the departures of two-high profile bosses citing interference from their respective boards. Ferguson and Wenger were attending a League Managers' Association dinner for their Benevolent Trust and Community Fund at Wembley.

"It (managers not having control) won't happen in my time," Ferguson said. "At no point in our history has the board ever overruled a manager.

"The fear is that we have owners that will (make managers) become project managers or basically just fitness coaches who will determine who out of the 16 are the fittest on the day.

"We need strong, capable managers who can stand up against those that try and change the principles of the game."

Wenger, the Arsenal manager, added: "The quality of manager is determined by the quality of control (over team affairs).

"The manager is a strong guide inside the club and has to establish his authority and demonstrate he is in complete control. If you have no control but are still responsible for the defeats then that is unbearable."

Manchester City were recently taken over by Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment and marked their purchase by completing a shock £32.5million signing of Robinho from under the noses of Chelsea.

While Wenger welcomes investment into the Premier League, the Frenchman believes it can also be "destabilising."

"New people are coming in for different reasons," Wenger said. "In England we had a generation of fans whose ambition was to buy the club of their dreams - those days are gone.

"Now people are coming in for different reasons, maybe money or glory.

"To have more money in the League is a good thing.....but the inflationary pressure of having too much money is destabilising for other clubs, it puts a huge pressure on their resources."

Ferguson, 66, also denied money could buy success, saying: "You can have as much money as you like but you can't buy every player. There is no guarantee that money gives you the best team."

The two managers have clashed on a number of occasions but the pair insist that is in the past.

Wenger said: "There is a much better understanding and mutual respect now."

Ferguson went on: "We've sat and shared a glass of wine and a meal on many occasions on coaching conferences in Geneva. We've both [got] great teams and have had incredible competition over the last decade."