Auston Trusty buzzing over Kieran Tierney reunion at Celtic as £6m man backs his own abilities to the hilt

Daily Record

12-07-2025

The American defender insists he's up for the challenge as Brendan Rodgers prepares to bolster his backline.
Auston Trusty knows competition is fierce at Celtic - but he's ready for the fight.
The American defender insists he's up for the challenge as Brendan Rodgers prepares to bolster his backline. With Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki gone and Stephen Welsh sidelined again, reinforcements at centre-half are top of the agenda in the coming weeks.
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Trusty could be the one under pressure if a new face arrives. But he's not shying away from the battle. He said: 'There is always competition for places at every team. 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.
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"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. mBut the club is always going to look to bring in the right people too.'
Trusty produced some stellar displays in the Champions League, but appeared to find it tough going at times domestically, losing his place to Liam Scales in the run-in.
Despite the bumps, he's proud of what he achieved in his first year at Parkhead - picking up two trophies. He said: '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.
'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.'
Having once been on the books at the biggest club in London, the ex-Arsenal star says he quickly settled into life in Glasgow's goldfish bowl. He said: '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.
"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.'
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It was an even smoother transition for Trusty, playing alongside a fellow American Bhoy in Cameron Carter-Vickers.
He said: '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.'
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And there's another familiar figure back in the fold in Kieran Tierney - a player Trusty shared a dressing room with at the Emirates. He said: '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.'
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Trusty almost ended his debut campaign with a famous Treble, only for Celts to crash to a shock Scottish Cup Final defeat to Aberdeen.
Rather than dwell on what could have been, the 26-year-old is using the heartache as fuel.
He added: 'Obviously you don't want to lose a title. And we wanted the Treble.
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'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.'