Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
At the moment everyone is debating who Sir Alex will look to as a replacement for Paul Scholes and in the long run Ryan Giggs in our midfield. Wesley Sneijder, Samir Nasri and Tottenham’s Luka Modric have all been linked with summer moves to Old Trafford.
I am however not going to look at who could be joining United this summer, but talk about one player who is already there.
This player is at times often overlooked but I personally feel he could be on his way to joining the ranks of footballing legends to run out for the Red Devils. That player is Park Ji-Sung.
United of course have had the pleasure of having had some of the greatest midfielders during the Premier League era. We have had David Beckham and his free-kicks, Roy Keane and his all-action approach, Scholes and his wonderful imagination and the age-defying genius that of course is Ryan Giggs.
Can Park join the likes of these in going down in United’s history?
Park has already become one of the most successful Asian footballers of all time and his performances for United last season showed that Park is far from ready to sit on his laurels. Since coming to Old Trafford from Dutch side PSV in 2005 Park has racked up well over 100 domestic appearances and nearly 20 goals.
However the 2010-11 season was arguably one of the best seasons of the Korean star’s career, not only at club level but on the International stage. Park was picked regularly by Sir Alex and played a vital role in some of United’s key games with his performances being rewarded with a start in our Champions League final loss against Barcelona.
Park also had the honour of captaining South Korea in both the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup before retiring to make way for younger talent.
However there are some factors that set Park apart from the rest. His phenomenal fitness levels are rivalled by few – if any – players in football today and his discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement have been noted by football fans and journalists the world over.
These factors set Park above the rest, the fact that he plays every game as if it were the World Cup or Champions League final make him something very special.
Park gives everything he has and more every time he pulls on a United shirt. Surely if his phenomenal form continues he is sure to go down in United history as one of the elite, as a club legend. And who would be more deserving of that than the humble man from South Korea.
Dear James B, please spare us, the actual Utd fans, a real headache. Park is nothing but a below-average grafter, exposed so cruelly by Barca. Utd need some class and craft. Park, Gibson, Carrick etc are just not good enough. Utd missed out on Sneijder 2 years ago. Ditto on Ozeil last year. Now Sneijder is out of Utd's reach. So what we do? Lament for, wait for it, Fletcher..That's how far we have fallen.