David McCracken will be leaving Tannadice in the summer but has thanked Dundee United manager Craig Levein for being honest with him. McCracken was told that he would not be getting a new deal last month but has promised to end his nine year career at the club on a high. Having the uncertainty of his future settled has lifted a weight off McCracken's shoulders which has been reflected in improved performances. So good in fact that Levein has hinted he will remain in the team until he leaves. The centre-half will use the next two months to impress potential employers and believes United will benefit from his new-found focus.

He said: "It's good that I now know the situation. It puts me a bit more at ease because I know that I'm playing for my future away from the club. I've got to play well in every game or else I might get dropped and that would make it harder for me to show other people that I can play. I was aware there were teams coming to watch me just before the transfer window. It was disappointing that something didn't happen - but that's football. I had spoken to the gaffer about it before anything really happened and he says it might or might not happen, just depending on the situation. He said that if I was still here and training then I'd get the chance to play and, if I'm playing well, I'd keep my place in the team. There was no fall-out and he assured me he wouldn't be treating me any differently. He's handled the whole thing brilliantly and I've got nothing but respect for him."

McCracken has been through a rollercoaster ride during his time on Tayside and accepts the time is now right to move on. Levein is the seventh manager he has worked with in nine years so he feels that a change of scenery will be to his, and the club's, benefit. He said: "I'm clear in my own mind that I'll be going in the summer and it's better to think that way rather than thinking it might still be here. It's best that I look at it like that and try my best to get something sorted. I've been here a good while and I was maybe in the same position a couple of years ago when I signed my last contract. Looking back, it might have been good for me to get away then. A fresh start is what I need. A lot of Scottish boys have gone down to England and for some it's happened and others it's maybe not. I think most players would be willing to try it and I'm no different."