Park Ji-Sung says that Manchester United will cope without him
as he heads off to play at the Asian Cup and maintains his side
will still be at the top of the table when he returns.
Park is set to play his last game for United against Sunderland
on December 26, before leaving to play for South Korea in the Asian
Cup in Qatar.
United sit on top of the league with a two-point lead of over
second-placed Arsenal and also have a game in hand, and the
midfielder thinks that nothing will change in a few weeks time.
"I totally believe we will still be No. 1 when I come back,"
Park told the Guardian. "I have no doubts we will be in
the same position as we are at the moment. Playing for the national
team is an honour but I am going to miss several games, so it is
quite disappointing. But Manchester United have a big enough squad
to be very strong and they will do well without me."
He is, however, not underestimating the challenge of high-flying
Sunderland.
"Sunderland have shown what they can do against the big teams,''
he added. ''Their victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a
great result. They probably think they can do the same at Old
Trafford. We need to be aware of that and concentrate because this
will not be easy."