Levein has pledged for further improvement at Tannadice

Speaking after his side finished this year's campaign with a goalless draw at home to Motherwell, Levein said:

"All I can promise is that, not anything to do with league positions, we will improve next season.

"The players we bring in will be better than the ones we let go - that's my promise to the supporters."

Interview: Dundee United manager Craig Levein

Striker Collin Samuel, defenders David McCracken and Lee Mair, plus goalkeeper Derek Stillie, played their last games for United on Saturday.

But Levein is hopeful of signing goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska and three others.

He said: "If you let people go and want to improve your squad then you must bring in people that I consider to be better.

"Some of the young lads who have appeared in the team will be better next season.

I think the opportunity's there for us to push on next season and to be much better than we were thios season Dundee United manager Craig Levein

"We'll have Lee Wilkie with a pre-season under his belt and Barry Robson on the pitch as often as possible, hopefully if he's learnt his lesson."

Levein has been unable to field Robson for the latter stages of the season after the United captain was sent off against Celtic in April.

He was subsequently one booking away from a four-match ban which would have seen him sidelined for the start of next season.

When Levein took over from Craig Brewster in October 2006 the Tannadice side were below recently relegated Dunfermline in the Scottish Premier League.

But he has brought stability to the Tangerines and believes there is more to come.

"I think the opportunity's there for us to push on next season and to be much better than we were this season," Levein added.

"This is a club with potential, there's no doubt about that.

"I think part of the problem has been the millstone of the great times Dundee United had in the 1980s in particular, something I think every manager has had to live up to.

"There seems to be a little bit more reality in people's thinking now."

Levein was in a sanguine mood about his side's final SPL game of the season, which resulted in a 0-0 draw against Motherwell at a blustery Tannadice.

"I thought we played reasonably well in the first half in particular," Levein said.

"We had four great opportunities to score and bar some average luck and some greatn goalkeeping I'm sure we'd have won the game.

"In the second half the wind affected the game but we still created two more chances to score.