Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may sign his very own Ji-Sung Park this summer
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may bring his own version of Ji-Sung Park to Old Trafford when the transfer window reopens at the end of the campaign.
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Not every Manchester United signing needs to be a superstar. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already proven that with both Daniel James and Odion Ighalo impressing at the club despite the odds being stacked against him. And the Norwegian is interested in signing Jeff Hendrick on a free transfer when the summer window reopens. Should that happen, the Burnley star could be the Norweigan’s very own Ji-Sung Park.
Back in the summer of 2005, Manchester United had a quiet, but successful, transfer window.
Edwin van der Sar was brought in from Fulham to solve the club’s goalkeeping problem, with the Red Devils struggling with shot-stoppers in the years since Peter Schmeichel walked away.
And Park touched down from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in a bargain £4million deal.
The South Korea international had impressed in the Eredivisie and been linked with a move to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal before moving to Old Trafford.
And the Gunners would come to regret their failure to sign Park, who would be their scrounge on numerous occasions throughout his time at the Theatre of Dreams.
The United team Park joined was a work in progress.
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But, shortly after his arrival, the midfielder became a vital asset for Sir Alex Ferguson - despite the superstars around him inside the dressing room.
Park wasn’t a fair player. He didn’t excite in the same way as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani and he wasn’t a slick operator in the middle of the park like Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and, in his later years, Ryan Giggs.
But Ferguson liked him for two reasons: his versatility, and his workhorse attitude.
Park was capable of playing just about anywhere for United.
While an attacking midfielder by trade, the South Korean was willing to be deployed in any position by Ferguson. As long as he played, he was happy.
He’d often press from the middle, harrying and chasing defenders into committing mistakes that would later be punished by United’s forwards.
The Burnley star operates with the same likable tenacity, leading the press for Sean Dyche’s side with devastating effect.
And he’s versatile, too, having the potential to operate anywhere across the midfield - including in the middle, out on the flanks or in a defensive midfield position.
Like Park, he’d be a low-risk, low-cost signing.
United would only have to match his wage demands in order to land him from Burnley, who won’t receive a fee when the 28-year-old departs Turf Moor.
This summer, United fans want superstars. Jadon Sancho can be their Cristiano Ronaldo if they get a deal for the Borussia Dortmund star over the line.
But Ferguson’s final great sides had Park in them. And a player like the South Korea international could help them get a lot closer to the Premier League title they crave.
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