With all the talent on display at Manchester United, it can be very easy to overlook some of the players who have stayed out of the media limelight, yet have made a huge contribution in helping the club achieve the success that it has. One player who undoubtedly falls into this category is Park Ji-Sung.

It has recently been announced that Sir Alex Ferguson has offered a two-year contract extension to the South Korean, who retired from international duty back in January in order to focus on his club career. This is a just reward for a player who has worked tirelessly during his time at Old Trafford, helping the club to 4 League titles and 3 League Cups. And yet he has not always been given the credit that he deserves. He may have played alongside some of the world's greatest and most renowned midfielders, such as Christiano Ronaldo, Nani and Paul Scholes, but he has quietly gone about his job, not created anywhere near as much controversy as his counterparts and, throughout his career at United, barely put a foot wrong.

When you look back at the highlights of Park's career at Manchester United and with South Korea, it is difficult to see why there has not been more of a fuss made about him:

14 June 2002 - Scored a memorable goal for South Korea against Portugal in the World Cup to help them through to the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time in their history.

9 April 2006 - Scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester United in a 2-0 win over Arsenal

29 April 2008 - Voted Man of the Match in United's Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona

21 September 2008 - Scored for United in a 1-1 draw against title rivals Chelsea

13 December 2008 - Made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0-0 draw against Spurs

5 May 2009 - Scored against Arsenal in a 3-1 win the Champions League semi-final

27 May 2009 - Became the first Asian player in history to play in the Champions League final

31 January 2010 - Scored a crucial goal in a 3-1 win at Arsenal in the Premier League

10 March 2010 - Scored for United in their 4-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League

21 March 2010 - Scored the winner in a 2-1 win over Liverpool

12 June 2010 - Became the first Asian to score in 3 consecutive World Cups, scoring in South Korea's 2-0 win over Greece

November and December 2010 - Won the club's Player of the Month award 2 months in a row

13 December 2010 - Scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Arsenal

25 January 2011 - Made his 100th appearance for South Korea in their Asian Cup semi-final match against Japan

12 April 2011 - Scored in United's 2-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea

These highlights prove that Park is a player who loves the big time and has played a pivotal role in some of United's biggest matches of the last five years.

[ad_pod id='unruly-2' align='right']

He is also one of the most versatile players in English football, with his ability to play anywhere across the midfield. He works well in both defensive and attacking positions and his work ethic and movement off the ball are superb. He also has very high fitness levels and his discipline is exceptionally good. He may not be one of the most glamorous or celebrated players in United's squad, but he is undoubtedly one of the most useful. He is arguably the greatest Asian to have ever played in the Premiership.

As a new season approaches and now that Paul Scholes has retired, competition for places in United's midfielder will be greater than ever. Ashley Young has been drafted in and youngsters such as Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley are proving themselves to be stars of the future. Park may have a difficult time convincing Sir Alex that he is good enough to play in the first team on a regular basis. But given his track record at United thus far, his versatility and his commitment to the club, it will be impossible to ignore him. A regular first team spot is the least a player like Park Ji-Sung deserves.

Read more of Sam’s articles at http://diamondformation.wordpress.com/. Also follow him on Twitter: @DiamondFormat.

[ad_pod id='footballfancast_article_mpu' align='none']