United Players Sweat Over Futures

Craig Levein will make several of his 1st team squad sweat over their Dundee United futures, as he tried to bring in several more new faces during the January transfer window.

Derek Stillie, Lee Mair, Alan Archibald, David McCracken and Collin Samuel are just a few of the 1st team players out of contract in the summer, but Levein is in no hurry to offer them extensions - until they prove to him they are worthy of a new deal.

Defender David McCracken was the first player to be told his contract will not be renewed in the summer, but Levein has suggested there are 2 or 3 players who aren't part of his future plans.

"It was not something I particularly wanted to make public right now, but sometimes these things come out," said Levein when asked about McCracken earlier in the week.

"If he gets a club before the end of the transfer window he will be allowed to go, but, if he is here beyond that, he will still be training with us and will be considered for games."

When asked about the remaining 1st team players who's contracts expire at the end of the season, the Dundee United manager explained his decision not to start talking to them about new deals just yet.

"Part of the reason I haven't spoken to these players about either extending their contracts or releasing them is that I don't consider us to be out of the woods yet," Levein told the Courier.

"We had a good spell then more recently a sticky spell, but it is up to players to knuckle down in training and do well enough in games to convince me that they should be here next season."

"A lot of the guys concerned haven't done enough to be offered a new deal."

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