Ferguson plays down Rooney strop

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson played down Wayne Rooney's reaction to being substituted in the 1-0 Champions League win at Besiktas.

Rooney shook his head as he walked off and threw down one of his boots in disgust as he sat in the dug-out.

But Ferguson responded: "He is never pleased to come off. He has so much energy he wants to play all the time.

"He had been playing as the lone striker for an hour, which is why he was always going to come off."

Rooney was replaced by Michael Owen on 63 minutes, with the Group B game in Turkey still goalless.

But it was Paul Scholes who eventually gave United the win, scoring with a header on 77 minutes.

The 34-year-old midfielder, who was sent off in the Premier League win at Tottenham on Sunday, found the net after Nani's shot had been parried by keeper Hakan Arikan.

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"Nani was a bit unlucky not to score himself but Paul Scholes did what he does best," stated Ferguson. "It was a typical Paul Scholes goal."

Scholes was delighted to get on the scoresheet but admitted the team had been below par.

"You'd like to play a bit better than we did and create more chances but we haven't done that," he said. "We won the game and that's all that matters."

Scholes was red-carded in United's previous game, a 3-1 Premier League win at Tottenham on Sunday, and said he had been determined to put that behind him.

"I was disappointed at being sent off but I think most people can see it wasn't a second yellow card," said the player, who was dismissed at White Hart Lane after being cautioned for a tackle on Tom Huddlestone. "I just had to come into this game and forget all that."

United, who were beaten in last season's Champions League final by Barcelona, were not at their best against Besiktas but did enough to get their campaign off to a winning start.

"Antonio Valencia was always a threat," added Ferguson, who must now prepare his players for Sunday's derby against Manchester City. "He got to the bye-line so many times and really we should have done better.

"He has got the potential to be a really good player. He is powerful and strong, with a lot of enthusiasm.

"He is very quick, with good balance and in a year's time he will have developed more parts of his game."

The United players had to cope with a rogue Besiktas fan trying to upset their concentration by pointing a laser in their direction.

"It was in the first half, although thankfully the police did something about it," explained Ferguson.

"They managed to get the culprit, which is good because I noticed it particularly on Jonny Evans. It seemed to be on him all the time."

Besiktas had frustrated United for most of the game, and coach Mustafa Denizli said: "I am sad about the result. To concede so late after putting in so much effort is quite demoralising."

United's next Champions League group game is at home to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg on 30 September.

They began their campaign with a 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow courtesy of a hat-trick from Brazilian striker Grafite.