Auston Trusty: How He Became A Celtic Starter & Why Cover Is Vital
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
It’s the 10th of August, 2023. A season of transition is in the works from the fast-paced, entertaining nature of Angeball to the more controlled possession-based style of Brendan Rodgers.
Postecoglou wasn’t the only major face to leave. Jota secured a megabucks £25 million move to Al Ittihad, while Carl Starfelt exited to La Liga outfit Celta Vigo for around £4 million.
Three seasons later a lot has occurred, a lot has changed, a lot has remained the same.
Auston Trusty Still Stands Where Many Others Have Fallen
Three more titles, two more managers, and seven more centre-backs. Since the Swede’s exit, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Auston Trusty and Hayato Inamura all signed permanently for combined fees of £13.5 million. Nat Philips, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Benjamin Arthur also joined on loan. It’s worth mentioning that Liam Scales, who found himself sixth choice in the Summer of 2023, enjoyed an unlikely rise into the first team, which Rodgers declared one of the biggest surprises of his managerial career.
Nevertheless, with effectively eight new faces trying out for the role, it’s generally been accepted that the Hoops have failed to replace Starfelt’s quality.
Lagerbielke and Nawrocki were genuinely good centre-backs but lacked the pace to partner Carter-Vickers. Inamura showed promise but was never given a chance; the same can be said of Simpson-Pusey and Arthur, while Philips proved to be an absolute disaster from day one.
Moreover, Scales has earned a place in the squad for his efforts over the years and has recently been awarded a long-term contract. Nevertheless, there remain elements of his game that are very average and easily upgradable, such as distribution and game intelligence.
So, heading into this transfer window, with a campaign of Champions League football hopefully ahead, the general sentiment was that a first-team centre back was a necessity. Yet, that feeling has shifted due to the early-season performances of Auston Trusty.
Beginning his third year at the club, he is forming a really reliable partnership with Carter-Vickers built on speed and bravery and looks certain to hold down his place in the starting eleven.
With Scales suspended for the opening two league matches, the American seized his opportunity. Now, the recruitment focus has changed, with Celtic no longer looking for a centre-back, a month after they reportedly failed to bring Arthur back to the club.
An Up And Down Journey
It was the Summer of 2024 when Trusty first wore the Green and White. He was one of many late Window signings, joining Arne Engels and Luke McCowan at the back end of August. He enjoyed a decent first season - with notable performances away to Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League- but never managed to hold down a place in the starting eleven.
Heading into his second season, he was completely bombed out of plans. Rodgers famously picked Dane Murray ahead of him on a trip to Tynecastle, which the Champions would lose 3-1. He cited having a left and right-footed balance as the main reason for doing so. However, he had no issues going with Scales and Trusty the year before when Carter-Vickers was injured.
That is to say, he was clearly not a part of the Northern Irishman’s plans. However, as soon as Martin O’Neill returned for a second stint, Trusty found himself back in the mix. Playing on the right-hand side of a partnership with Scales, he started all eight matches before Wilfried Nancy arrived. Domestically, the defence improved, conceding just two goals in six matches.
Then came arguably the toughest period in his Celtic career.
Nancy, insistent on playing his preferred 3-2-4-1 formation, placed Trusty on the right side of a back three. It’s one thing playing on your weaker side of a centre-back partnership; it’s another thing altogether as part of a back-three. Opposing teams were so aware how uncomfortable he looked that they would often leave him as a spare man, daring him to run into space. He resembled a clumsy and unconfident figure.
He reflected on last season during an interview with the Athletic,stating:
“Flow-state is important. The best football is when you’re in it. You train so hard to get so good that you don’t need to think. When I play, everything is instinct. You don’t think about opening your body up, you just do it. You don’t even think about checking your shoulder, it’s happening naturally — your body just does it. The more you think, the more you make mistakes.”
Nevertheless, his form once again improved when MON returned, just as his position as an orthodox centre-back did.
A New Season
Heading into 2026/27, he had cemented his spot as right-sided centre-back of a defensive four. With MON a massive admirer of Scales though, it was expected that the 28-year-old would partner Carter-Vickers from August.
The Irishman, however, was ineligible to play from the start of the campaign, so, in stepped Trusty. And in many ways, it’s one of the best things that could have happened to Celtic.
The two have rarely played together in green and white since late 2024, and it’s been forgotten just how much they complement each other.
Carter-Vickers is an excellent physical presence who is dominant in defensive duels both on the ground and in the air. However, he does lack pace. Pace is one thing Trusty doesn’t lack, so he can cover for long balls over the top.
Likewise, what Trusty lacks from a physical perspective in terms of tackling and strength, Carter-Vickers provides. It’s the closest chemistry to what we have seen since the famous Carter-Vickers and Starfelt partnership that never lost a domestic game together.
So, the centre-back situation does look considerably better than it first appeared. Yet, don’t be fooled; the Hoops are still somewhat short.
Simply, the focus should turn to bringing in some competent backup, rather than an immediate starter. Afterall, one or two injuries is all it takes for a full-blown crisis.
With Scales and Dane Murray as back up, you have two competent options on the domestic scene. Beyond that though, there is literally nobody. The situation is made all the more precarious due to Carter-Vickers’ injury record over the past three seasons.
One will point out the difficulty of attracting a top-class centre-back to play second fiddle in a position where little rotation happens. It’s for that reason that a loan move akin to last season’s Benjamin Arthur deal would make perfect sense.
So, while the focus will quite rightly be on strengthening in midfield and at fullback, it would be rather risky to ignore the centre-back market as deadline day approaches, even if the picture looks considerably better than it once seemed.
Comments