Manchester United bade the fondest of farewells to Seoul, with Sir Alex Ferguson promising: "We'll be back."

Even in the football-crazy Far East, the reception United have received on their first visit to South Korea has gone way beyond the norm.

Mobbed by thousands on their arrival at Incheon airport on Wednesday, the Red Devils' team hotel has been a constant source of attraction for fans eager to get a glimpse of their heroes.

Every sponsorship, charity and community event has attracted hordes of official and uninvited guests, while 60,000 tickets for the 4-0 defeat of local K-League outfit FC Seoul were sold within six hours.

For a club often derided for boastful comments about the size of their fanbase, it was clear-cut proof that an insatiable appetite for United does exist in Korea.

And Ferguson confirmed it will not be too long before the Old Trafford outfit return.

"This is Manchester United's first visit to Korea - and I am sure we will be coming back," he said.

"The reception we have received here has been absolutely excellent. Everything about the trip has been first class.

"I used to think when we went to Thailand it was almost impossible because we had thousands inside and outside the hotel all night. We have experienced the same thing here.

"It doesn't surprise me. It is just one of these phenomenons we can create in certain parts of the world."

It is a phenomenon that has no chance of abating as long as Park Ji-Sung remains a United player. Yet it is not just South Korea's highest-profile star the capacity crowd got excited about.

On the evidence of the reaction every time their pictures were plastered over big screens at either end of the stadium, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs are also held in great affection, while the departure of the team bus an hour after the final whistle was greeted with the kind of noise which used to be reserved for Beatles concerts.

The reaction may present United's commercial team with a problem given the club had earmarked the United States as a destination for their next major, non-tournament-year tour.

While chasing the American dollar has its attractions, even with David Beckham now based in Los Angeles, it is difficult to see how any football club can make as deep an impact on the US sports psyche as United have on the affluent Asian market.

"We consider ourselves a major global brand," said Ferguson.

"The club is prepared to travel anywhere to promote its image and the game.

"Even North Korea would not be a problem for us, should the right conditions apply.

"I understand from a survey that was carried out recently that we have an enormous number of fans in Vietnam, so maybe that is somewhere that we might look to visit in the future.

"It just seems like the whole of the Far East has a lot of respect and affection for our club and we have to serve that as best we can."

Maybe the reception United were afforded in Seoul was just the kind of thing the Asian Football Confederation were afraid of when they prevented Ferguson and his team visiting Malaysia for the final leg of the tour.

Instead, the Red Devils will head to Guangzhou in China, hoping to provide the local supporters with as much pleasure as they gave their hosts this evening.

Both Ronaldo, who has started the pre-season campaign in superb form, and Rooney were on the scoresheet inside the first 20 minutes, as was Chris Eagles.

After spending 18 months on loan at first Watford, then Sheffield Wednesday and finally NEC Nijmegen, before returning to Old Trafford for the second half of last season, Eagles is trying to convince Ferguson he has a long-term future at the club.

And his solo effort, reminiscent of the goal he scored against Everton at Goodison Park in April, must have caught his manager's eye.

"Chris Eagles has matured and improved a lot since he came back to us," said Ferguson.

"He is still only 21 and he has got a great future ahead of him."

The stifling heat and 75% humidity did catch up with United after half-time but Patrice Evra, who impressed on the left-hand side of midfield as Ronaldo was pushed into a more attacking role alongside Rooney, still managed to net a well-taken fourth.