The Premier League might seem like a lifetime ago for Fulham fans after a second season in the Championship that almost resulted in relegation to League One but there is a desire within the club to make a return to the top flight of English football as soon as possible.

Owner Shahid Khan has only seen the club in decline since he took over ownership from Mohamed Al-Fayed having failed to settle with a manager for longer than a season. Martin Jol, Rene Meulensteen, Felix Magath, and Kit Symons have all tried but been unable to steer the fortunes of the Cottagers around.

The current manager Slavisa Jokanovic has been given the chance to lead the club into the 2016/17 season despite seeing the side finish 20th in the Championship last season. This will be the first pre-season Jokanovic has with the club and Khan will be hoping he can recreate the success he enjoyed with Watford.

It could be a huge season for Fulham as they look to turn their ship around and avoid being involved in a relegation dog fight once again.

Jokanovic will need his big players to deliver big performances, and Football League World writer Steve Day gives his thoughts on which THREE players should be watched this coming season for the London club...

Ross McCormack

The Championship goal machine has continued to deliver the goals even when his side have not been getting the results. The fact that McCormack scored 21 league goals last season for a side that finished just two places about the relegation zone in the Championship is proof of his potency at this level.

The Scottish striker has scored goals wherever he has gone since he arrived in English football from Motherwell. He scored 25 league goals in 74 games for Cardiff City and then continued the prolific form at Leeds where he scored 53 goals in 140 league matches.

If Fulham are to make a push for the top six this season and be considered as potential promotion contenders then McCormack will need to keep scoring at the right end. He won Fulham's Player of the Year for the past two seasons and has now been made club vice captain.

He is arguably their most important player coming into the new season.

Marcus Bettinelli

One of the key positions for a team that wants to challenge for promotion to the Premier League is a goalkeeper. In Bettinelli, Fulham have one of the most promising up and coming keepers in the Football League.

At just 24-years-old, Bettinelli is still relatively young for a keeper. After loan spells with Dartford and Accrington Stanley, the former England Under-21 stopper finally broke into the Fulham team last season and made 31 league appearances for the club.

Bettinelli is now set to start next season as Fulham's number one and if Jokanovic can sign a couple of players to bolster the back-line then the club can almost certainly improve on the 79 goals conceded last season. That would be crucial in helping them achieve a higher league position next season.

George Williams

Youth can often provide the breath of fresh air within a squad that is needed to push a team to the next level. At Craven Cottage, they have a number of hot talents but with Moussa Dembele's time at the club seemingly inevitably drawing to a close, the expectation will move onto the shoulders of 20-year-old Welsh starlet Williams.

Williams is so highly rated by the Wales national team that he has already earned 7 international caps and was included his his nation's 2016 European Championship squad. He spent last season out on loan at Gillingham as part of his rehabilitation after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage which ruled him out for almost six months, but has started to re-discover his best form.

This will be a pivotal and defining season for Williams. He has shown sparks of his potential when playing for Wales and he has impressed when out on loan. Fulham could well use this season to get him more involved in their first team set-up and make no mistake that this lad has a big future ahead of him if managed correctly.

Do you agree with these three players? Are there other players at Fulham who you would recommend to watch out for next season? Let us know your thoughts below.