Two years ago, Park was meant to be playing for the Reds against FC Seoul but was ruled out after undergoing major knee surgery that kept him out of action for almost an entire season.
Yet such is the fervour Koreans reserve for their national skipper that they still voted him man of the match!
The 28-year-old's presence will also be limited at the same stadium on Friday.
This time though, it is because a summer break extended due to his international commitments, means Park is well short of the fitness required to play a major role in by far the most arduous game United will have on the four-match Far East leg of their pre-season work.
Ferguson has pledged to give Park some time on the pitch though.
And when he does emerge, Asia's player of the year can expect a reaction equal to anything David Beckham had been used to before his out-of-character confrontation with LA Galaxy fans earlier this week.
"When a local lad like Ji-sung has left his country to play for Manchester United - and not just play but excel at the very highest level - then it's obvious he will receive adulation in his home country," said Ferguson.
"In addition, he has been a star of his national team for some years now.
"Korea is a football nation. so the reaction when he comes back is understandable."
Park is about to enter the last year of his contract too.
Reason
While it may be incorrect to state the only reason he is at Old Trafford is because of the extraordinary interest in United he can generate in South Korea, the vast number of Reds' credit cards in use there cannot be overlooked either.
"When we signed Park Ji-sung it was for footballing reasons," reflected chief executive David Gill.
"But, without a doubt, it has had an impact on our commercial activity in South Korea.
"We have one million credit and debit cards here, which is phenomenal and the enthusiasm of the fans is second to none.
"We are looking to extend Park's contract because Alex is very happy with him but there is no timing on it."
Park's presence should help ease the blow of not having Cristiano Ronaldo to cheer, as the Korean fans had in their capital on United's first visit two years ago, when he scored the first of what turned out to be four unanswered goals.
Few are critical of United's decision to offload the 24-year-old for a world record £80million.
However, his departure is not going to be merely glossed over.
Ferguson knows he will have to adjust his team. And he is aware the Koreans will miss him.
"The most significant difference this time is that there's no Cristiano Ronaldo and the fans will miss him," said Ferguson.
"But we are still at a very high standard and hopefully this season we will continue that way.
"There is a great desire for us to maintain the high standard of success Manchester United deserves." Given his own past record, it is unlikely Ferguson will settle for anything less.
At 67, the Scot remains as driven as he was the day he walked through the doors at Old Trafford to replace Ron Atkinson.
The game has changed immeasurably over the intervening 23 years, although there is still one aspect of it Ferguson could do without.
"What has kept me going? Not the press conferences that's for sure," said Ferguson at the end of an interminably long one which, at the appropriate stages required translation from Turkish to Korean when FC Seoul coach Senol Gunes spoke, then from Korean into English for the benefit of foreign journalists who were present.
"I suppose I am at the right club," he added.
"It is a fantastic club to be at; great fans, great players. It makes it much easier for me to continue as long as I have.
"I have been blessed with good energy and good health, which is what you need at Manchester United because this club needs to be successful all the time."
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"Ferguson has pledged to give Park some time on the pitch though", I wish he didnt when it came to the final in rome though, setiment ruled his head, games like these are why we bought him in the first place
ER I would put that decision more to do with his performances against a supposedly fluid Arsenal in the CL semi-final which helped get us there than sentiment!
Park easily deserves his place in our squad.
TMUF I disagree. When he first came I thought he looked a clever player but in all honesty as a wide player he offers nothing except huff and puff. To be fair I thought he did do ok against Arsenal away but the odd good game isnt enough for me. Wouldnt be sorry to see him leave.
this is an absolute joke him getting a new deal. hes awful & all he does is run, the cl final & semi finals against barca proved how far out of his depth he was! he did nothing & created nothing! the question that needs to be asked is would he get on for the top4 in the prem, la liga or seria a! the clear answer is no & he should be sold as selling shirts isnt good enough! we have enough young players who could grow in to 1st team players to be our squad players & with ljajic coming in january also i just dont see the point in keeping him.
fergie didnt pay the extra £7m for benzema as he thought he was overpriced will if hed of sold park & saved on his wages we would be stronger & would have spent the same amount of money as wed of got £5m for him & saved about 50k a week in wages! yet again united being left with players not good enough to play for united & if theres one criticism i have of fergie is hes too happy to keep players who are happy to sit on the bench as they know theyre not good enough & will be happy to get a few games & medals at the end of the year!
park is the only player in our squad not good enough to be in our squad & i think kuszczak is a #2 so as long as he doesnt moan about being a #2 then id keep him!
Somehow the words "Park" and "excel" dont quite go in the same sentence for me. A hard working squad player, no more no less - if he was from the UK he'd have been outed a long time ago. At least he's doing his bit comercially though but please lets limit his role as he's not got the desired skills to play on the wing....maybe as a DM i'd give him some credance!!
Park is at United for one reason marketing 1.5 million in Korea hold a mufc credit card.
He is no better than Tevez another player who runs aroound like a headless chicken his good games are few and far between.He is there to sell shirts.
Thats why he sold manucho they sell very little shirts in Africa.
Reminds me of Tevez lots of running but usually no end product. I hope Valencia steps up to the mark, because Tosic, and Nani have been poor. I know its only been 2 games, but we wasnt playing anybody either. The bright spark is Owen seems sharp. Lets hope he stays injury free.
Moments like this are a big deal. I don't think enough people appreciate what it means to an Asian or an African, when one of their players makes it at a club like United, or, at least, has the opportunity to do so. I imagine that it'll be an event for himself and his loved ones to treasure.
Edinburgh Red, Park scored in the second leg against Arsenal, and played a part in Ronaldo's second; He was outstanding that night, and earned his right to start in the final. Also, had he beaten Pique to that ball, that would've changed the make up of that game completely. Just because we lost, it doesn't mean he should be begrudged of that. With hindsight, it should've been Scholes for Giggs, and Berbatov for Anderson, as they are better possession players. No point going over spilt milk, though.
Every squad should have players like Park, and today's player would do well to learn from him. Here is an example of a player who'll give his everything for the cause, and when he was left out, he never complained. He's shown that you can do this, without being a diva, or being hot-headed. Even where he's had his critics, he's shown that with discipline and hard work, he can prosper. Class, to me, is as much about how one carries himself off the pitch, as well as on it. I, for one, hope that he's a part of United for many years to come.
Ji Sung is one of those squad players who is great for when all is going well but not a week in week out player. Tries his heart out though, just not always effective.
Great squad player nothing else (I'd love it if he proved me wrong)
Very true i feel SAF made the wrong decision in the final starting Park and Giggs not often i will question his judgement but he got that one wrong.Park good honest hard working player he is what he is Nani has to push him this season and regain his place in the team if we reach the final again play the players who are on form not players who you felt quilty about dropping last year..
Park is a bit like marmite - you either love him or you don't! I admit to being in the former camp - he has so much energy, he covers so much ground on the pitch that the opposition players must think there's more than one Korean on th pitch. OK - so he isn't a 'tricky' jinking winger with a blistering shot, but people need to appreciate what else he gives the team. Darren Fletcher has suffered the same sort of criticism over the years and it is only recently that some fans (not me - I rate the likes of Fletch and John O'Shea highly) have started to appreciate him. I for one would be very happy for Park to sign another contract. And, by the way, we're trying to run a business so the financial advantages ji-Sung Park gives us mean that it is unlikely to cost us any money in real terms. Now that makes sense, doesn't it?
Park deserves his contract extension,as he has got to be one of the most underated players in the league.I dont get how so many people can slag him off just because he doesnt skip past 2 or 3 players with sublime skill, or he doesnt bang in goals from 30 yards.What he does do extremley well is his running off the ball to create space for the other players to benefit from.His tracking back & defending is excellent.Hes also alot more skillful on the ball than people give him credit for.Hes got a fantastic engine on him,hes direct,he also creates a fair few chances and scores the odd goal.I for one think hes a very good squad player and a major reason we got to the final last season,so he deserves his place in the squad on merit and merit alone.
Park is a hard worker but he is not up to standard !
"But, without a doubt, it has had an impact on our commercial activity in South Korea."
"We have one million credit and debit cards here, which is phenomenal and the enthusiasm of the fans is second to none."
Park sells stuff in Asia. That can be the only reason he ever plays for United, as he has very little talent, and the only reason he usually gets MOM!
I agree with you Edinburgh Red. Park is utterly useless and shouldn't be a utd player. TMUF are you blind or something?Park is technically inept and should not have been anywhere near the pitch in Rome. He was shown up for wht he is. Someone who runs a lot, can't pass, can't tackle, can't dribble, and very rarely scores. You would have to be pretty clueless to rate Park as a football player let alone one who plays for man utd- there again, there are a lot of clueless fans around I suppose. When you consider Kanchelskis, Giggs, Beckham, Ronaldo he wouldn't come anywhere near close. As you said Edinburgh red, Fergie let sentiment instead of sense rule his head, because Park was left out of the squad for the Chelsea final 2 years ago. Park's continual inclusion in the team last season effectively damaged Nani's progress. How can anyone call Nani, with the playing time he had last season- he needs a good run in the team.
Park deserves the accolades he's receiving in his home country. Few players work their socks off like he does. He's no Ronaldo but there again football is a team sport and there's no better team mate than Park!
Up the Reds!
I agree with TMUF. Why are reds so split about what Park brings to United. He is a great squad player, works hard and had some cracking games for United last year.
These are the only type of games that Park should be involved in as at least he boosts our merhandising sales. But let's be honest he just is not up to Premier league standard. Apparently we are on the verge of signing him up for another three years and again that must be for purely merchandising reasons cause it's certainly ain't for footballing reasons - he can't run with ball at his feet, he can't tackle and is pushed around by even the lightest of opposition, he can't cross, he can't score - barring tap-in's, and he certainly can't play against top opposition (We all witnessed his embarrassing ineptitude against Barca in the CL Final) What does he do well...? Run around and be a nuisance to the opposition - well for me that's just not enough. Someone mentioned that he did well against Arsenal in the semi-final, but you're overlooking the fact that he was playing against boys who were like stunned rabbits in the headlights after we got our early goal. When Fletch was sent off in the semi I said here on the forum that the real tragedy was that Park was now going to be included... and the rest is history as they say. Just let's keep our fingers crossed that he's used very sparingly the coming season and that his apperances are limited to showcase kick arounds like this one in Seoul.
"Ferguson has pledged to give Park some time on the pitch though", I wish he didnt when it came to the final in rome though.
The same could be said for the other 10 players on the pitch Edinburgh red, so don't use him as a scapegoat, he helped get us there.
I think without question his performances in several matches including the semi-final meant he merrited a place in the final....as for the final itself, well nobody turned up and it was one of the worst team performances of the season.
really wish wed sold him this summer.....yes hes a half decent squad player , but little skill, big heart but little end product.......again taking up a space someone else could have in the squad........can you ever see him scoring 10 goals a season???? me neither .... again the kid llajic , maybe anderson /nani and tosic will look at him and wonder waht does SAF value in his players...the running around for 90 mins or someone who can actually play a bit...am i appreciated here??? thats what would go through my mind if i were one of those players...
While everyone is divided on Park's abilities it seems to me that most can agree he is a good back-up player, a squad player. This however is contradicted by Ferguson who used him in a lot of the big matches last season, suggesting he is part of first XI...and this is where I believe people have a problem, as they believe shouldn't be our first choice left winger. For years we've been spoilt in that position with Giggs, but now we are struggling to replace him.
For me, Park is a hardworking player who is good against the mid-table sides and below and is especially useful in away games against promoted teams who play with a work ethic, a bit like Fortune was. Against much better teams, his lack of technique becomes more of an issue. Like O'Shea a good lad to have around the squad who will always show commitment and offers balance in some matches, but for fans who have been brought up on the wingplay of Best, Coppell, Strachan, Kanchelskis, Sharpe, Giggs and Ronaldo, he often feels a very underwhelming choice when selected for one of the wide positions.
Danny has hit the nail on the head, no doubt with his United credit card. Over one million credit/debit card holders is amazing, that is serious money. Park will be receiving the red carpet treatment when it comes to signing a new contract.
As to his contribution to the team, well it's been a hell of a lot better than a lot of other players. SAF also hit the credit card on the head the other day when talking about Park. He said that he understands space very well and it is his best feature. We've seen him break through defences and appear in dangerous situations on countless occaisions. Unfortunatly his finishing is on a par with Tevez. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the middle this season, playing behind the strikers where i think he can be very effective.
Excellence Of Execution,
The Glazers and United are quite aware what Park gives o the team and its all financial,the same reason why they are touring Asia instead of Norway or Finland where the climate is more compatiable.
As to African players they are quite aware of what playing for a big club means usually 175.000 a week enough to fedd a whole village for two years.
Park is not a winger he plays in midfield for Korea As we know its not unusual for Alex to play half the team out of position.Even playing Neville as a central defender!