Life just keeps getting better for Manchester City supporters. While the rest of the world is reeling from the credit crunch, thousands of the Barclays Premier League club's fans have arrived in Cyprus to catch some late summer sun and watch their team play Omonia Nicosia in the Uefa Cup. Manchester United may be worrying about whether their shirt sponsors will still be in business this weekend, but City fans do not have a care in the world.

The £200 million takeover of their club by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment is set to be completed this week, making them arguably the richest club in the world, and City fans will carry on celebrating today by watching Robinho and Co play in temperatures of more than 30C (86F). “The actual deal hasn't been finalised yet,” Mark Hughes, the City manager, said. “But obviously the club is going to be in the situation that we will have the resources to be successful.”

City's newfound wealth and their signing of Robinho from Real Madrid for £34.2 million, a British record, has ruffled feathers in England and beyond. Bernd Schuster, the Real Madrid coach, said this week that he could not understand why the Brazil forward would want to leave the Bernabéu to play for a “mediocre club in England”, but Hughes has accused his counterpart of living in the past.

“He's obviously a bit emotional about the situation,” Hughes said. “He's lost one of his better players and I know for a fact he didn't want to lose him. Irrespective of what other people think, we're trying to go in the right direction and that's what Robinho has seen.

“He's not come to a club that's going to be mid-table for the next few years, he's come to a club that he feels is going places. Maybe in the next few years we can change Schuster's view on Robinho's decision. I think he knows what is happening. Nobody usually goes to a club like Real Madrid and takes one of their best players.”

Stealing Robinho from under the noses of Chelsea was a stunning statement of intent by City and so is Hughes's refusal to allow the club's new owners to sign Ronaldo, the former Brazil forward who was photographed looking more like a City supporter than a City player on a Mediterranean yacht this summer.

“A couple of months ago we were in preliminary talks with his advisers,” Hughes said. “The people surrounding him were keen to press his case while he was trying to get back to full fitness. I don't think he's fully fit even as we speak now. They were sounding out clubs who were interested in his situation. We had those discussions, but we won't be pursuing it.”

Hughes's refusal to be bullied into buying a player he does not want bodes well for the future. Kevin Keegan and Alan Curbishley found it impossible to work with their respective owners at Newcastle United and West Ham United who would not let managers manage, but the early signs are that Hughes's more pragmatic approach may pay dividends.

City announced yesterday that Michael Johnson, the England Under-21 midfield player, has committed himself to the club by signing a new five-year contract and Hughes wants to make sure that the City teams of the future will continue to have a core of home-grown players at their heart.

“Players like Michael Johnson and Micah Richards have a real empathy for the club,” Hughes said. “The key is that the young players understand that, irrespective of what's going on at the club, if you are good enough, you will prosper at Manchester City.”

Omonia Nicosia (possible; 4-2-3-1): A Georgallides - H Ndikumana, M Pletsch, T Wenzel, R Alabi - E Charalambous, K Kaifas - K Duro, Clayton, E Aloneftis - Y Okkas.

Manchester City (possible; 4-2-3-1): J Hart - P Zabaleta, M Richards, R Dunne, M Ball - D Hamann, V Kompany - S Wright-Phillips, Robinho, S Ireland - Jô.

Referee: T Gea (Andorra).

Television: Live on Sky Sports 1 from 6pm.