Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung is delighted to be back after long-term injury. The South Korean was devastated by Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to leave him out of not just his starting line-up but his entire squad when United beat Chelsea in the Champions League final last May.

With a knee injury following almost immediately, ruling the 27-year-old out of his country's Olympic Games campaign, Park could be forgiven for feeling cursed.

"It has been a hard time for me," said Park.

"I have to show my abilities so I don't suffer that experience again. This was a chance to do that and I need to take them because I still believe I have a big future at Manchester United."

No matter how long Park remains at Old Trafford, he has already proved beyond question he is more than a glorified clothes horse.

While his popularity in Asia does have a beneficial effect on United's commercial department, Park's energy and drive is an equally obvious by-product of his presence.

Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to play the former PSV Eindhoven star on Sunday helped nullify the threat of Jose Bosingwa, a tactic that worked equally well on the other side of the field as Owen Hargreaves shut down Ashley Cole.

"I was quite pleased with my performance," Park continued.

"My fitness is coming back now. I have been in the gym a lot and prepared as much as I can, so I am pretty much recovered."