Like club captain Grant Munro and last season's player of the year, Don Cowie, Fraser's present deal with Inverness runs out next summer.

After the protracted contract negotiations involving several Inverness players last season, it would appear that Caley Thistle manager Craig Brewster is keen to start talks sooner rather than later so that should a problem arise then it can be sorted out before that player becomes available to talk to other clubs in January.

Fraser, however, is adamant that his only concern is helping Caley Thistle begin the forthcoming Premier League campaign in a positive fashion. Everything else, especially talks regarding a new deal, can wait until Brewster decides the time is right to make an offer.

"It's obviously up to the club who they want to speak too when it comes to contracts, but I think first and foremost we need to make sure we're performing on the pitch and if the club want to start talks after that then fine," he said.

"I'm sure the manager will know when it's right to start talking about new contracts, so I think the boys who are coming up to the end of their current deals will be happy to go along with that."

For Fraser, the new season cannot come quickly enough as he admits to becoming "fed up" by the end of Caley Thistle's near six-week break before returning this week for the rigours of pre-season training.

The hard work, however, now begins in earnest for Fraser and his team-mates as they attempt to make a better start to what is their fifth season in Scotland's top flight.

It was six games into the previous campaign before Caley Thistle recorded a victory, their downfall consistently being the fact they were conceding poor goals at bad times — a fact Fraser is in complete agreement with.

Caley Thistle keeper Michael Fraser at pre-season training at Culloden. Ken Macpherson

The 24-year-old is not one to look for excuses, but does believe that the loss of the imposing figure of Darren Dods from the heart of the defence had much to do with the back four not looking entirely comfortable early in the season.

"We were giving away silly goals and when you go six games without a win it starts to get pretty serious," added Fraser.

"Losing Darren Dods was a really big blow because he was such a dominant player and when you take a player like that out of the team, particularly the defence, then you're bound to miss him. Hopefully this season, however, we'll be ready for the start and keep things tight."

Like the men in front of him, Fraser endured some difficult times at the beginning of the campaign, most notably when he was dropped for a mistake in the build up to Kilmarnock's opening goal in a 2-2 at Rugby Park last October.

Brewster decided to drop Fraser in the aftermath of that incident and replace him with Zibi Malkowski, but he returned between the sticks at the end of the month and was an ever-present after that.

Despite coming through what he describes as a "sticky patch", Fraser remembers only too well what that experience of being relegated to the bench, albeit for one match, was like.

"I don't mind admitting that I was devastated after that and when I found out I could easily have started crying, but hopefully I showed the manager the right attitude in that I wasn't going to sulk about it," he stated. "I feel that I've come through it well, but it's these type of things that go on to make you better as a player."

Caley Thistle first-team pre-season friendlies
Saturday 2th July — Clach (Grant Street Park, 3pm) and Inverurie Locos (Harlaw Park, 3pm)
Tuesday 15th July — Ross County (Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, 7.30pm)
Wednesday 16th July — Brora Rangers (Dudgeon Park, 7.30pm)
Saturday 19th July — St Johnstone (Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, 3pm)
Tuesday 22nd July — Lollandfalster (Denmark)
Saturday 26th July — Herfolge (Denmark)
Saturday 2nd August — Burnley (Turf Moor, 3pm)

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