The Times:
As he prepared to board a flight to England yesterday, Park Ji Sung, recently voted South Korea’s most recognisable sportsman, felt moved to tell the waiting media that he had been summoned to join Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven in a £4 million deal because of "my ability, not just for some marketing strategy in Asia".
The same message rang loud and clear from Old Trafford: that the transfer had been conceived in Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial office at the United training ground rather than in the boardroom, or indeed in the Florida home of Malcolm Glazer, whose three sons constitute half of the club’s new board of directors.
But, while Park’s pedigree, including playing in the World Cup finals for South Korea and the Champions League for PSV, suggests that he is a player who can do far more than boost shirt sales in the ever-expanding Asian market, there is little doubt that the deal will prove profitable for the club and its new owners.
Yesterday saw the cessation of public trading in United, with Glazer taking the expected step of delisting the company from the Stock Exchange. It was a move he had promised almost as soon as he launched his £790 million takeover bid and one that, in all likelihood, will enable him and his family to enjoy some of the increased profits he has envisaged for United under the terms of an aggressive business plan that has involved him taking on £ 374 million of debt.
The signing of Park, a 24-year-old who has become an iconic figure in South Korea on the back of successful form with club and country, will not do United’s financial prospects any harm. Although the club’s merchandising income is not affected by shirt sales as a consequence of a £303 million, 13-year contract with Nike, signed in 2000, United can be guaranteed to gain even greater exposure and media revenue in the Far East as a result of signing one of Asian football’s few bona fide superstars.
Park will certainly increase local interest in United’s tour next month, when they will play matches in Hong Kong, China and Japan, but, unlike Dong Fangzhou, the Chinese forward who is also due to appear for United on the tour despite making little impression during a spell on loan at Royal Antwerp, with whom they have close links, Park is expected to make an impact in the Barclays Premiership.
A fiercely energetic player, he has operated on both wings for PSV as well as in a more central role. Given his slight preference for the left-hand side, he may be viewed primarily as the long-term successor to Ryan Giggs — much to the disappointment of Kieran Richardson, who had hopes of breaking into the first team after his impressive debut for England in the United States last month. But, above all, he offers Ferguson a flexibility and a drive that have been lacking from United’s midfield over the past two seasons.
"I don’t think that it will be difficult to adapt (to English football)", Park, who will sign a four-year contract subject to a medical examination today and to being granted a work permit, said. "I’m confident I can prove myself. I want to prove that Koreans can play at that level and I want to show my value to United in terms of my ability, not for some marketing strategy for Asia. I’m not going to England for business."
That view was echoed at Old Trafford. "We buy players on the basis of what they can do for the team, nothing else," Phil Townsend, the United director of communications, said. "That has always been the case and always will be. Anyone who has seen Park playing for PSV or for South Korea will know that he is a top-quality player." The fact that he is also an icon in the Far East is a considerable bonus, of course.
Okay Phil, who is that Chinese player who is on our books?
The Indie:
Manchester United's second signing of the Malcolm Glazer era was completed yesterday when the South Korean international Park Ji-Sung signed from PSV Eindhoven for £4m.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who proved his pedigree during PSV's run to the Champions' League semi-finals last season, marked his arrival with the announcement that he would not be just a marketing tool in United's Far East tour next month. However, his signing will push United to lighten their wage bill in midfield.
Sir Alex Ferguson will listen to offers for the Brazilian Kleberson and there is also doubt over Liam Miller's future after a disappointing debut season. The acquisition of Park, who can also play at right-back, could also reduce Kieran Richardson's chances of returning from his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion.
The Guardian:
Park would have cost significantly more had he not been within a year of becoming a free agent at PSV Eindhoven, and the 24-year-old will be viewed as the long-term replacement for Paul Scholes, whose performances have been increasingly erratic over the past two seasons.
An attacking midfielder, Park attracted widespread acclaim for his performances in last season's Champions League semi-final against Milan but United have been aware of him since the World Cup three years ago, when he played in all seven of South Korea's matches en route to the semi-finals.
Sir Alex Ferguson will resist any speculation that Park has been signed merely to enhance the club's global appeal, and the player is adamant that he has been signed for his footballing skills. "I want to show my value to United in terms of my ability, not for some marketing strategy for Asia," he said. "I am not going to England for business reasons and I'm confident I can prove myself at one of the world's top clubs."
Park took his medical examination in London yesterday and should have no trouble obtaining the work permit that will make him United's second signing, after the Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, of the Glazer era.