Park leaves United for QPR 'challenge'
Source: AFP |
July 11, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SOUTH Korea's Park Ji-sung left Premier League giant Manchester United for top-flight minnow Queens Park Rangers on Monday in a bid to get more first-team football.
The industrious 31-year-old midfielder spent seven years at Old Trafford after arriving from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, scoring 27 goals in 203 appearances for United.
"He is the ultimate professional and such a nice lad. He never let us down on the big occasions," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "Unfortunately, I just couldn't give him the number of games he wanted."
Park, capped over 100 times and the only Asian to score in three successive World Cup finals tournaments, helped United win four Premier League titles, three League Cups and the 2008 Champions League but couldn't nail down a first-choice spot with the Red Devils.
QPR only avoided relegation on the final day of last season and Park said it had been tough to leave Manchester to join the west London side.
"It was a very difficult decision, it's hard to leave such a big club, but QPR showed me what they are trying to be," he said. "It is time for a new challenge."
Park, who signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be more than 2 million pounds, reportedly received offers from leading clubs in England, Europe and Asia. He decided to join a QPR side owned by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes and managed by former United striker Mark Hughes.
"QPR want to be a bigger club, they want to improve and it's a great challenge," Park said.
Park is Rangers' sixth pre-season signing, joining Ryan Nelsen, Andrew Johnson, Robert Green, Samba Diakite and his former United teammate Fabio at Loftus Road.
The industrious 31-year-old midfielder spent seven years at Old Trafford after arriving from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, scoring 27 goals in 203 appearances for United.
"He is the ultimate professional and such a nice lad. He never let us down on the big occasions," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "Unfortunately, I just couldn't give him the number of games he wanted."
Park, capped over 100 times and the only Asian to score in three successive World Cup finals tournaments, helped United win four Premier League titles, three League Cups and the 2008 Champions League but couldn't nail down a first-choice spot with the Red Devils.
QPR only avoided relegation on the final day of last season and Park said it had been tough to leave Manchester to join the west London side.
"It was a very difficult decision, it's hard to leave such a big club, but QPR showed me what they are trying to be," he said. "It is time for a new challenge."
Park, who signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be more than 2 million pounds, reportedly received offers from leading clubs in England, Europe and Asia. He decided to join a QPR side owned by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes and managed by former United striker Mark Hughes.
"QPR want to be a bigger club, they want to improve and it's a great challenge," Park said.
Park is Rangers' sixth pre-season signing, joining Ryan Nelsen, Andrew Johnson, Robert Green, Samba Diakite and his former United teammate Fabio at Loftus Road.
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