Park Ji-Sung has had one of his most ineffective seasons in a Manchester United shirt. Will this season be his last?
He has legendary status in South Korean, and his performances over the years mean United fans rank him pretty highly too.
When Park Ji-Sung was bought in 2005, many were sceptical about the reasons for his purchase, fearing he was another Dong Fangzhou, simply arriving to help United’s commercial interests in the Far East.
Anybody who did think that probably hadn’t seen his performances for PSV, or at the 2002 World Cup, where he was an instrumental player in both sides.
He has been a very important player for United through the years, netting vital goals in big games against Chelsea, Liverpool, and repeatedly Arsenal.
This season though, there has been a marked dip in his output, having too many games where he simply blends into the background and fails to offer the creativity United’s midfield desperately lacks.
His versatility is a good thing for United, but it also prevents him from holding down a regular spot in the side.
He has only played 17 minutes in the Premier League since the beginning of February, and has started just two league matches in 2012.
It is fair to say that he is becoming very much a fringe player, scoring three goals this season, against Arsenal in the 8-2 win, one in the 5-0 win over Wigan, and in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool.
Park was one of the under-performers in two of United’s most embarrassing losses of the season, the 3-2 loss at home to Blackburn and the 2-1 Carling Cup loss to Crystal Palace.
With Manchester United’s midfield limitations cruelly exposed against Athletic Bilbao, supporters will hope that the club’s management will invest in new players over the summer.
Where this would leave a player like Park, on the edge of the first team and unable to command a starting spot after several years at the club, is anyone’s guess.
At 31, he still has great levels of fitness, and will be able to carry on for several years, but the big question is whether this will be at United.
The club could be too quick to cast him aside, he has played important roles in the back-to-back 1-0 wins over Swansea and Everton in October, and he always gives his manager a different option.
His future will be a dilemma for Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer, who may choose to say thank you and goodbye, but the club would not get much in terms of a fee for him, so it will be up to the Korean in the season’s remaining games, when selected, to show why he deserves to stay.
Should United keep or sell Park?
What should United do with Park?
image: © Magnus D
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