CELTIC did not spend £6million on Auston Trusty for the 26-year-old US international centre-back to sit on the sidelines.
The left-sided defender signed a five-year contract when he arrived from Sheffield United on transfer deadline day.
It was clear Brendan Rodgers’ central rearguard needed strengthening with the sporadic injury problems that have beset Cameron Carter-Vickers over the last couple of seasons.
Nat Phillips came in on a short-term loan last summer, but the unimpressive back-four performer was packed off back to Liverpool at the turn of the year.
ON FIRE…Auston Trusty in action during Celtic’s 6-0 League Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen at an illuminated Hampden.
Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke got off to false starts with injuries hindering progress of the joint £7.3million arrivals from Legia Warsaw and Elfsborg respectively with the Swede now on loan at FC Twente for the season.
Stephen Welsh has also had fitness issues, so the recruitment of Trusty made a lot of sense.
The towering operator made his first appearance as an 84th-minute substitute for Carter-Vickers in the 5-1 Champions League matchday one win over Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead on September 18.
He made his first start four days later in the 5-2 Premier Sports League Cup victory over Falkirk on an afternoon in the east end of Glasgow where Rodgers took the opportunity to offer game time to some fringe players with Liam Scales a no show.
NO WAY THROUGH…Auston Trusty holds off a challenge in Celtic’s 3-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Amazingly, Trusty has played every minute of the nine games since that match against the Championship outfit.
With Carter-Vickers available following his enforced six game absence – his comeback kicked off a 23-minute outing as a replacement from ALex Valle in the 3-0 win over Motherwell – Rodgers has continued to give the nod to the Pennsylvania-born back-four operator.
Scales has been a bit-part player in the past three matches and has been utilised as a second-half substitute for Callum McGregor’s deputy captain.
The Dubliner came on for the former Spurs defender in the 76th minute in the 2-0 win over Dundee, he was a 63rd minute replacement in the 6-0 success over Aberdeen and came on in the 74th minute in the 3-1 Champion League victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
Scales, 26, now has some questions to answer.
THREE CHEERS…Paulo Bernardo, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales display their joy after the scoreless stalemate in the Champions League against Atalanta in Bergamo.
There is absolutely no suggestion the Republic of Ireland international, a valuable squad member, will rock the boat and his professional attitude is well known to the manager and all at Parkhead.
Rodgers has stated he brought in Trusty for his pace in one of the games, but Scales has proved he is no slowcoach since answering the SOS to come into central defence early last season.
The Celtic manager is now spoiled for choice in that area after the emergency situation of the previous campaign.
Which is good news for the champions, but, as we all know, three into two doesn’t go.
Scales may be asked to exercise a lot of patience in the forthcoming months.
ALEX GORDON
