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| ▲ This EPA photo, shows former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung (40) has now decided to open up about the reasons behind his decision to leave Manchester United in 2012.
In a recent episode of the "UTD Podcast," an official podcast organized by Manchester United and hosted by Helen Evans, Sam Homewood, and ex-United defender David May, Park revealed stories during his time as Manchester United's midfielder.
Park Ji-sung moved from the Dutch football club PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United in 2005. After playing as midfielder for seven seasons until 2012, Park joined Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.
When playing for Manchester United, Park had his heyday as the three-time Premier League-winning midfielder after winning the English Premier League and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League.
Although Park spent most of his career at Manchester United, when the number of games he couldn't play continued to increase, the football player felt it was time to say goodbye.
“In that last season, it was the only time that I missed five games in a row, without any injuries," Park explained in regards to his decision to leave Manchester United. "That signaled to me that [this was the end] because I'd always contributed."
"Without injuries, I'd missed maybe maximum three games in a row, but five is quite tough as a player. So then I think it's time to leave the club," Park added.
“The club actually wanted me to stay and I spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson, but it was the first time I had missed five games in a row without injury. Some of the players probably knew I was going to leave here because of that happening for the first time.”
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| ▲ In this file photo, taken on July, 2007, shows Park Ji-sung holding the Premier League championship with Alex Ferguson ahead of the friendly match between Manchester United and FC Seoul at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. (Yonhap) |
Spending most of his career with Manchester United, Park says it was a difficult decision for him to come to terms with.
"It was very tough because I'd never been at one club for seven years, this was the first one,” Park said. "And everything was there; friends, families, everything settled down. So I was quite comfortable and it was like home. But I had to decide because I was 31 and it was probably the last time to move and have a contract; it was towards the end of my playing career. It was very, very hard for me to leave."
Park also recalled an anecdote with Ferguson, saying, "Sir Alex Ferguson understood how I felt. He wrote a letter to me, which I still have. It's quite meaningful. I'm really appreciative of it and I'm really proud of being a United player under Sir Alex Ferguson."
“We didn't talk a lot face-to-face [when I wanted to leave], he just said 'good luck for the future, all the best', and then actually the detail was in the letter, that his grandson didn't want me to go. We had a great relationship between us and I'm really pleased to have worked with him," Park said.
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