Park is not at Man Utd to sell shirts, says Ferguson

After Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park scored the winner for Manchester United in their vital win over Liverpool on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson lavished praise on him and dismissed suggestions that he had only been brought to the club for commercial reasons.

Sceptics point to the fact that Park has played fewer than 150 games for United in the five years he has been at the club as an indication that his purchase had more to do with marketing than footballing concerns.

United have been eager to build their fanbase in the Far East and the capture of Park has helped that - but he is also a player that Ferguson has faith in. Ferguson described his display against Liverpool as "fantastic".

Although he was left out of the squad for the 2008 Champions League final he tends to feature in most of United's big games, and was utilised in a position behind the striker.

Park has also developed the knack of scoring goals in big games, the brave diving header that secured all three points at Old Trafford was only his third of the season, but he has netted against Arsenal, AC Milan and now Liverpool.

Responding to the suggestion that Park was bought simply to increase shirt sales Ferguson said: "I didn't think that... Someone is always going to take a runner on something like selling shirts. But you could say that about every player we have signed."

Instead the United boss concentrated on Park's characteristics as a player: "When I went to see him play in those Champions League semi-finals for PSV Eindhoven in 2005 I thought this is a player who understands football. He is intelligent and disciplined and he can play different positions. I had no issues about that at all."

He added: "He's one of these players that we can give him roles to play and he does it because of his control and discipline. We found another role for him [against Liverpool], which was slightly different to the one he played against Milan, but nonetheless he did a really important job for us. He's such a brave little lad that his courage got him the goal."

Ferguson also paid tribute to another of his less glamorous players, Darren Fletcher, who provided the cross for Park's goal.

"His work-rate is fantastic, and his natural energy is important," said the United boss. "It's interesting that we've lost the last three games to Liverpool and Darren has missed all of them, twice with flu once with injury."

If Ferguson thought Fletcher and Park made the difference, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez did not agree - and he was far from convinced by United's penalty and appeared to accuse winger Antonio Valencia of diving.

"The way he fell down is strange. When you see the replay it is suspicious how he went to the ground," said Benitez. ·