Defying Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson may cost Wayne Rooney dearly

When Sir Alex Ferguson interrupted his summer holiday during the World Cup with a phone call urging Wayne Rooney to "relax and enjoy" his involvement in South Africa, it was the ultimate example of the father-son relationship between the two men.

Ferguson, the Scot with little interest in the success of England, had identified tension within Fabio Capello's squad and he was determined to shield Rooney from the debilitating side-effects of the stresses of tournament football.

That phone call was a mere four months ago, but how the landscape has changed. Any calls between the two now are likely to be greeted by a swift glance at the display before a dismissive throw into the cushions.

Ferguson has always been Rooney's foremost protector. When the forward received a three-match ban for shoving Bolton's Tal Ben Haim in the face in December 2004, Ferguson railed against journalists and scattered tape recorders in all directions during a passionate defence of his player.

The theme has rarely altered, but six years of unswerving support and loyalty – on both sides – have been banished to the dustbin in the wake of last month's revelations surrounding Rooney and prostitute Jennifer Thompson.

Publicly, Ferguson has shielded and rested Rooney. In private, the reality has been that he has punished the 24 year-old by dropping him from the first team and even leaving him at home when United flew to Valencia in the Champions League earlier this month.

Other issues have prompted Rooney to abandon his contract talks with United.

The former Everton youngster is unhappy at the terms initially offered by United and he has made known his displeasure at the lack of investment in the first-team squad since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez in the summer of 2009.

Neither player has been replaced by United. Ferguson has pointed to a lack of value in the transfer market, but supporters have blamed the lack of investment on the club's huge debt, a theory which Rooney is understood to buy into.

But the central issue revolves around the events of recent weeks and many will raise an eyebrow at Rooney's perception that he has been mishandled by Ferguson.

The first cracks appeared two weeks ago, when Rooney broke his post-prostitute silence by giving an interview for his sponsors, EA Sports.

During that 12-minute interview, he blatantly challenged Ferguson by not only insisting he should be allowed to play himself back to form, but also claiming that he was being played out of position following Dimitar Berbatov's return to favour.

Rooney made it clear that he felt more likely to score goals in a central position. Tellingly, when he was introduced as a 71st-minute substitute against West Brom on Saturday, Rooney was immediately deployed on the left wing by Ferguson.

Rooney's explosive post-match interview following his performance for England against Montenegro in midweek, when he contradicted Ferguson's claims of an ankle injury, were another sign of the player's refusal to toe the line.

It was a strange move to make considering that he had been pictured applying an ice pack to his left ankle after being substituted at Bolton last month.

Three days later, Rooney was pictured leaving a Manchester hospital following a scan on the same ankle.

Perhaps it was Rooney's arrogance or naivety that led him to defy Ferguson.

But maybe that suggestion does him a disservice. His judgment may have deserted him in front of goal this season, but by openly defying his manager to such a degree, Rooney clearly knew what he was doing.

Only time will tell whether he has made the right move or one which will be judged as the biggest mistake of his career.