Two hours later the chatter was not so much about the youngster but about another new striker – Alan Smith.

The £7m (€10.4m) buy from Leeds steered United into the lucrative group stages of the Champions League, that could generate £15m (€22.3m), with a couple of clinical finishes.

There was a mixture of euphoria and disappointment among the supporters ahead of this qualifier - euphoria that the club had made a bid to rival Newcastle’s for Rooney but the downside was the absence for the next three weeks of captain Roy Keane with two cracked ribs.

American youngster Jonathan Spector was drafted in at the back and another starlet Chris Eagles was given his head in midfield.

Experienced campaigners Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were both on the bench with United aiming to build on a 2-1 advantage against the Romanians.

Gary Neville took the captain’s armband in the absence of Keane – and this United team looked short on experience going into such a crucial match with such a slim lead.

Smith was the lone striker although the bonus for Ferguson was the re-appearance of Louis Saha on the bench after a knee injury.

Smith set up Eagles with a defence-splitting pass after two minutes but the youngster pulled the ball back but beyond Smith. Fletcher, however, was alert and rattled in a shot that was deflected to safety by Adrian Iordache.

United, though, were struggling to string their passes together against a Romanian side lying 11th in their league.

Ronaldo, making his first start of the season after stints for Portugal in the Olympics and Euro 2004 , was looking their best option.

He tried to get away down the right after 13 minutes but with three players surrounding him was crowded out.

Kleberson them played the ball back to Smith but his 20-yard effort was easily taken by the Dinamo goalkeeper.

United stepped up the pace and Ronaldo jinked clear but his cross came to nothing.

With Keane absent – the Republic of Ireland midfielder is certain to miss the opening World Cup qualifiers – United looked a little disjointed.

Eagles, though, was rising to the challenge and put in a good cross from the right after 29 minutes that evaded everyone.

The crowd were unusually quiet as United tried to build on their one-goal advantage from the first leg in Bucharest.

Ronaldo was hardly getting the service he wanted and he took matters into his own hand in the 39th minute by rattling a free kick into the goalkeeper’s body.

Smith almost put United ahead a minute later with a header from Kleberson’s cross but the Dinamo goalkeeper made a superb save to tip the ball over the bar.

This was a good spell of pressure by the home side going into the break but still that elusive goal would not come.

United needed only a minute into the second period to go 1-0 ahead on the night and 3-1 ahead on aggregate.

There was a stroke of good fortune about the goal, however.

Kleberson’s free kick spun off Iordache and into the path of Smith only two yards out.

He smashed the ball home only for Markus Merk to check with his assistant who had raised his flag before giving the goal.

There was no fluke about Smith’s second three minutes later when he knocked the ball in following a cross from Gary Neville.

After losing two goals in the space of three minutes, Dinamo were forced to go on the offensive.

Captain Florentin Petre strode forward and sent in a 20-yard shot that tested Howard.

Substitute David Bellion added a third in the 69th minute when he took advantage of a mistake by Iordache to fire a shot into the corner.

He should have added a fourth for United in the 74th minute but clipped his effort over the top following a good cross from Fletcher.