"My aim in the coming season is to play more games than I did last term for United and hopefully in the centre of midfield," he told The Daily Record.
"I also want to help Scotland take a big step towards qualifying for the World Cup, or at least the play-offs.
"I ended the season on such a high for United and Scotland, but injured my ankle against Trinidad and Tobago. (Scottish friendly)
"I've an extra bit of bone in my foot and I went over on it, pushing it out a little more. It's called an osteotrigona and it was digging into the tissue and causing inflammation.
"An injection settled it but no sooner had I come back than I went over on my other ankle, spraining it and putting my comeback plans on hold for another week.
"The ankles are fine now and I've been doing extra work with United's new fitness coach, Walter di Salvo.
"It might take a month or so to catch up with the fitness levels and I hope to get as many games as possible under my belt."