Park relishes role as United´s quiet man

South Korea midfielder Park Ji-Sung admits he is relishing life in the shadows at Manchester United.

Park underlined his importance to the Premier League champions with an influential display in Wednesday’s Champions League rout of AC Milan, but his man of the match effort received only minimal attention because of Wayne Rooney’s goals.

Although some players would be frustrated to see their performance ignored, Park was quite happy for Rooney’s latest heroics to steal the headlines.

In fact, Park has been never keen to chase the plaudits in England because he knows only too well how draining it can be to live life in the spotlight 24 hours a day.

Park is an icon back home in Korea and has to wear a hat and shades whenever he goes out to avoid being mobbed by fans.

So being almost completely anonymous in England suits him down to the ground.

“I like it here because in South Korea my reputation is high and everyone chases me around,” Park told the News of the World.

“Here I can walk around without a cap or sunglasses and I can concentrate solely on my football.

“Seoul is such a bustling city, everyone walks around so quickly. England is quite calm by comparison, but I like both countries. I like the mix – for me it’s good.

“United is a big part of my fame and reputation, but I’m playing for the biggest club in the world.

“I don’t like to be considered famous. I can deal with it, but it all feels very uncomfortable for me.

“Everyone in Seoul recognizes me and I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing. When I read the newspapers and read the internet, everyone is talking about me.”

Park’s man to man marking job on Milan’s Andrea Pirlo in midweek was the kind of decisive display that has made United boss Sir Alex Ferguson rely on the Korean more and more in the team’s biggest matches.

His goals against Arsenal this season and last show he isn’t just in the side for his hard work, but Park acknowledges his role as a smothering midfield tyro has allowed him to feature in United’s biggest matches, including last season’s Champions League final.

“The manager knows my strengths and that’s why he chooses me for the biggest games,” Park said.

“Sometimes I miss the big games, but it really depends on the type of opponents we play.

“Often I’m in the team for tactical reasons, but it all depends on the style of the team we are playing.”