Manchester United wrapped up their 2012-13 season with a dramatic 5-5 draw at West Brom on Sunday. The Old Trafford outfit have cruised to the Premier League title this term, but now will go through some changes over the summer after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager. Looking forward, the club is in good shape.

Despite the appointment of David Moyes to fill Sir Alex’s sizeable shoes, the champions will once more go into next season as favourites with the bookmakers for top spot. The Old Trafford faithful will be confident betting on their side with Unibet for next term, despite the changes, but a number of lessons must be taken out of this season.

United finished their campaign on 89 points, the same as last season. Although the Red Devils showed some scintillating football at times, it must be accepted that other challengers such as City and Chelsea were as bad as United were good. For United to retain their title next year, further progression and improvement is needed.

There have been a number of positives for the club in 2012-13. The signing of Robin van Persie has been an inspired one, while Shinji Kagawa has also looked like a shrewd acquisition. Phil Jones’ outings in midfield add to his appeal and versatility, while David De Gea has looked markedly better. Michael Carrick’s contribution is finally being acknowledged by the football community and all in all it has been a strong season domestically.

Disappointments include the end of season lapse, with defeats to Chelsea and City at home not ideal. The London side also eliminated United from the FA Cup. The major negative comes from Europe however, where our elimination to Real Madrid was a massive disappointment.

Some players have not had fantastic seasons, and their future will be up the air this summer. United’s wide players have failed to impress, with Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young playing below-par for the guts of the campaign. Anderson’s time at the club looks numbered, and with Paul Scholes retiring a new central midfielder must be the transfer priority this summer.

Wayne Rooney’s future is also a hazy point – the majority of the United fanbase will want the striker back to his best and still in a red shirt next term however.

All-in-all, it has been a successful season for United, but it could have been much better. Small margins decide the big games, and it could well be the Old Trafford outfit at Wembley this Saturday for the Champions League final had things been different. With a couple of new signings to come this summer, the first season post-Ferguson still looks like it can be a successful one.