SEOUL, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP)
Asia's best known player Park Ji-sung has urged emerging talents in the region to follow his lead and move to Europe to complete their footballing education.
The industrious Manchester United midfielder said the conditions and training facilities were far better in Europe and youngsters could only benefit.
"In England, they play on grass, whereas back home (in Korea) they play on hard surfaces or artificial turf," he told Fifa.com.
"Generally, young professionals in the Netherlands and England belong to a club which has great facilities in order for them to develop their talent. In Korea they only play for their school and are not part of a club.
"Football in Asia is improving, but it will take time to reach European standards. For me, it's important for Asian players to come to Europe's top-level teams to learn how to play."
Park, 26, moved to PSV Eindhoven in 2003 after a successful 2002 World Cup and then switched to Manchester United in 2005, where he quickly became a big fan favourite.
His comments echo those of his manager Alex Ferguson, who said during the team's Asian tour in July that talented Asians should follow the Park route.
"Park came to us from PSV in Holland, so he had already proved himself in a high quality and competitive European league before arriving at United," said Ferguson.
"That is what Asian players need to do."
Few Asians have made a real impact in the English Premiership, with Japanese duo Junichi Inamoto and Hidetoshi Nakata struggling to reproduce their international form during their time in England.
Aside from Park, only Chinese defender Sun Jihai at Manchester City can claim to have exceeded expectations in the most high-profile league in the world.
Further north in Scotland, Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura has become a big part of the Celtic set-up
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