Trusty on competition for places at Celtic and Tierney’s return

Inevitably at this time of year there are transfer rumours coming thick and fast and over the past week three central defenders – Étienne Youte-Kinkoué, Scott McKenna and Justin de Haas – have all been linked with a move to the Scottish Champions.

Trusty though is unfazed by the prospect of any new competitors arriving for his spot in the Celtic team as he accepts that a club like Celtic is always going top look at squad improvements as cannot stand still.

“There is always competition for places at every team,” the American international defender said, as reported by Daily Record. “As you move up the ranks, there is always going to be competition wherever you go. You want a good squad and a squad with depth, too. Whoever is playing, and whoever they bring in, you have to have trust and faith in yourself. It’s about winning your spot and doing your thing.  But the club is always going to look to bring in the right people too.”

Reflecting on his first season at Celtic where the highlights were the Scottish Premiership title win and the Premier Sports Cup final win over theRangers at Hampden in December 2024, Trusty feels that the season went ‘extremely well’  despite the Scottish Cup final shock defeat to Aberdeen back in May.

“I felt it went extremely well. I was unfortunate at times with some injuries which were bad timing. But overall I feel extremely proud of last year. I’m excited about this coming season too,” Trusty said from the club’s training base in Lisbon, “But I look back on my first year and it’s extremely positive. Winning two trophies and doing really well in the Champions League individually and as a collective makes it only positive.”

On settling in to life at Celtic and the different style of football with different challenges of playing domestic football in Scotland, he reckons that he has coped well with all of this. “I feel I adapted really well. Obviously, I was in England previously, so I’ve got used to the weather and the culture in the UK.”

Trusty is certainly impressed by his teammates, with special praise for. his American teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers. “The group is also really good, probably the best one I’ve been part of. There is a great camaraderie and togetherness within the whole squad. It’s genuinely really, really good.”

“Cam is great. We have known each other for a long time now. That camaraderie and chemistry is already there so it’s nice to play alongside him. We spent a whole month together with the national team in South Korea at the Under-20s World Cup.”

And Trusty also has a longer relationship with returning Celtic hero Kieran Tierney than most of the players at Lennoxtown, excluding the likes of Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Anthony Ralston.  Trusty though was sad to see Greg Taylor leaving the club this summer to head to Greece to play for PAOK.

“I have known KT for a while now. I watched him at Arsenal. Greg Taylor was a big character for the team and a really, really good guy. It’s sad that he’s moved on but KT has come in and I’m really happy about that. He has massive history with the club. But it’s like he’s been here the whole time. He’ll bring a lot of attributes to this team and it helps that he’s been here before.”

On that Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen in the penalty shoot-out, just a week or so after Celtic hammered the Dons 5-1 at Pittodrie, Trust gave his reflections now that the dust has settled on that disappointing day at Hampden.

“Obviously you don’t want to lose a title. And we wanted the Treble. But there’s a positive side to it as it allows us something to chase. It gives us a hunger from losing that game and losing out on the Treble. It keeps us wanting more and keeps us striving to get better.

“You have to learn from mistakes. But as a team you have to find positives. If you only look at the negatives then it’ll drive you crazy. You can learn from the negatives but you also need to look at the positives as well.

“There is stuff to change to get better as a team,” he said. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to change that stuff in the coming few weeks.

Sandman’s take on Auston Trusty’s first season at Celtic in his graphically enhanced season review.

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