Park targets return
Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung has confirmed he hopes to
be back in action early next year.
The South Korean underwent surgery on a knee injury last season and
has spent the summer recuperating. He has watched manager Sir Alex
Ferguson sign the likes of Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Carlos Tevez and
Anderson, and believes all will be good signings.
"I'm confident that we can retain the Premiership title this
season," he said. "We've got a good squad and the manager has
brought some good players into the team to improve it even further.
The new signings have all impressed me in different ways.
"Nani is very quick, Owen works hard and Carlos [Tevez] has great
vision. Anderson hasn't played much, but I am looking forward to
seeing more of him. Hopefully, I'll be playing again early in the
New Year. My knee is getting better; it's a case of so far, so
good."
young players
Korea is currently hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, Park
believes young players in England have a strong advantage over
their Asian counterparts because of training conditions.
"The facilities for young players are better in Europe than in
Korea," he said. "Here, they play on grass, whereas back home they
play on hard surfaces or artificial turf. Generally, young
professionals in the Netherlands and England belong to a club which
has great facilities in order for them to develop their talent. In
Korea they only play for their school and are not part of a
club.
"Football in Asia is improving, but it will take time to reach
European standards. For me, it's important for Asian players to
come to Europe's top-level teams to learn how to play. But if I
could give one piece of advice for the young players in Korea, it
would be: enjoy playing the game and don't give up on your
goals."