With the fixtures announced, a European draw made and a new player signed, Celtic's new season is dawning. The club are currently in Austria right now to kick-off their pre-season friendlies and will be in the country all week as part of a training camp.

They have four friendly matches over the next eleven days as they prepare themselves for their first UEFA Champions League qualifier in mid-july against either Northern Ireland champions Linfield or San Marino champions SP La Fiorita.

Their first friendly arrives as soon as Wednesday evening when they face Austrian second-tier side BW Linz. On Saturday they face tougher opposition, old European foes Rapid Vienna before travelling to Czech Republic next week to face Slavia Prague. They'll then travel on to Dublin where they'll face Shamrock Rovers, just days before the first qualifier.

For fans, who can watch all the games via the club's official streaming service, it's a chance to check in on the fitness of their favourites and potentially see new names come to the fore.

Over the last 12 months, names you wouldn't have though could become important players at the Hoops have emerged into key figures including the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor and Dedryck Boyata.

Who are the next set of players on the fringes who can stake a claim this summer?

Here are three we think have a chance...

Kristoffer Ajer

Signed as a promising young midfielder from Norwegian side Start in January 2016, Kristoffer Ajer has undergone something of a transformation since Brendan Rodgers' arrival at the club. The Celtic boss has re-assigned his position in the team to the centre of defence and having worked on his new role for months now, could get his chance this summer to show what he can do in pre-season friendlies.

Ajer made over 60 appearances for his former side before joining the Hoops as a 17-year-old but he doesn't have a lot of experience playing in defence which is why he was sent out on loan to Kilmarnock in January. He made 17 appearances for the Ayrshire side and drew plaudits for his accomplished and calm defensive play both on and off the ball.

With Efe Ambrose leaving the club and Celtic not exactly graced with depth in the area, he could come to the fore over the next few months as a serious option for Brendan Rodgers.

The matches over the next 11 days at least give the Celtic boss a chance to see him in a match setting and make a decision about his future at the club.

Eboue Kouassi

Signing from Russian club FC Krasnodar in late January, Celtic fans have barely had a glimpse of Eboue Kouassi since he joined the club. You get the impression that his first few months at the club have been about settling in and getting to know his coaches and teammates rather than expecting any sort of immediate return out of the significant investment made in his future.

He's made five appearances since arriving at the club, but only one of those was a start.

With a full pre-season working with Brendan Rodgers you'd expect him to be knocking on the door for first team places when the competitive action starts.

What Celtic fans will have noticed in his limited minutes on the pitch so far is a strong physical presence and a player who is not afraid to get stuck in. That will bode well for the Ivorian going forward in the Scottish top-flight and gives the Hoops a different kind of option to the likes of Nir Bitton.

Supporters will be eager for him to feature in the upcoming friendlies to see where his progress is at ahead of the new campaign.

Liam Henderson

You get the impression that Liam Henderson is reaching a last chance saloon in terms of his Celtic future. He's been on the fringes of the first team for years now and after loan spells at Rosenborg and Hibernian, winning trophies at both, he's always returned to the Hoops and failed to have his managers trust him fully with regular first-team football.

He did make 13 appearances for the Bhoys last term and was not one of those sent out on loan, Brendan Rodgers clearly trusting that he is competent back-up at the club.

After the emergence of Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong as first picks in any Celtic starting eleven, maybe Henderson will be one of Rodgers' next projects at the club.

At 21 years old it needs to happen for him so or he could find himself moving on and this summer's friendlies is a perfect platform for him to shine and stake a claim ahead of the upcoming Champions League qualifiers.