The sight of Wayne Rooney slamming his boot down in disgust after being substituted against Besiktas will be of little concern to Sir Alex Ferguson. If anything, the Manchester United boss will be delighted with his reaction.

Emmanuel Adebayor’s controversial goal celebration for Manchester City raised the wider issue of players’ relations with the public and while Rooney’s heated exchange with Besiktas supporters as the striker took his place on the bench was probably ill-advised, hurling his boot to the ground in the dug-out will remind Ferguson of the hunger that is evident throughout his squad.

If the frustration of being taken off in a tight Champions League opener doesn’t stir some sort of anger then the Scot really would be worried.

As long as it’s not directed at anyone in particular, its good to see passion and desire reach boiling point, because a lot of players at other clubs are quite content to sit on the bench and collect their wages.

And United’s own experiences in the country – their nightmare in Istanbul 16 years ago when Galatasary dumped them out of the early stages of the European Cup - is still remembered as one of Ferguson’s lowest points in his managerial career.

The man who made the difference this week, Paul Scholes, is still very much an influential figure in the United set up and at 35, possesses class that younger players in the squad can only dream off.

For football purists it’s great to see Scholes still packing a punch at the highest level, but the concern for Ferguson is that he will only be able to play 20-30 games this season and the personnel coming in to replace him, though younger and perhaps sharper in terms of fitness, don’t put anywhere near the same amount of fear in oppositions’ minds as the old maestro.