AUSTON TRUSTY underlines his ambitions when he declares: “I want to be the best defender in the world.”
The USA international centre-back joined Celtic in a deadline-day £6million switch from Sheffield United and has done enough to convince Brendan Rodgers he is worthy of a place beside Cameron Carter-Vickers in the heart of the rearguard.
Trusty is likely to be pitched in against Dinamo Zagreb in Champions League matchday six in the Croatian capital in the 5.45pm kick-off this evening.
It’s another crucial confrontation as the Hoops focus on making the money-spinning play-off spot among Europe’s elite beyond January next year.
ON THE BALL…Auston Trusty in control in the 1-0 win at storm-lashed Aberdeen.
Asked if he still has a lot to improve upon and there is much more to come, Trusty answered: “Yeah, of course.
“I’m really hard on myself and I want to be the best defender in the world. At the same time, I’m playing my game, I’m doing my thing.
“As long as I have my mindset, I can achieve what I want to achieve.
“When I first started here, I had a meeting with the gaffer. They deliver the message to everybody just to let them know what you’re walking into and the expectations, what they want to see from you, all the sorts. That’s part of it.
“And me knowing what Celtic is and the history of Celtic, you know that’s the environment we’re going to walk into.
“I loved it and I wanted to take advantage of it. My mindset has always been like that, but the thing that shocked me was that everyone else was like that.
“Everyone else was on the same page as me, so that’s when I kind of felt really at home, just because we all had the same mindset.
THE ITALIAN JOB…Auston Trusty played his role in the goalless draw against Atalanta.
“Without really speaking to each other, you know. You’ve been in football a long time, you can see how guys are. But truly, everyone has the same mindset, so it’s really, really cool.”
That winning outlook was emphasised last midweek when the champions travelled to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen in atrocious, blustery and rain-lashed conditions and managed to prevail to overcome determined opponents with a late winner from Reo Hatate.
Trusty, speaking at the pre-match media conference, continued: “I’ve been in football a good bit now and I’ve seen many different mindsets.
“To go into an environment like that where it’s one of those days where you’re like: ‘Oh my gosh, not today’. But to see it didn’t even bother anybody. Everyone just gets on with it. It’s just empowering.
“You also want to be around and surrounded by guys like that, so it’s good. We’ve experienced it all, the coach has brought in people who have experienced stuff, as well.
“So any environment we go into we’ve seen before or at least have some kind of experience dealing with. We’re ready for anything.”
A BIG HAND…Auston Trusty acknowledges the Celtic support.
Trusty was in Dortmund as Rodgers’ side were swept away in a 7-1 avalanche by last season’s Champions League runners-up, but he recovered his composure to line up alongside Liam Scales as the Hoops battled out a scoreless stalemate against Europa League winner Atalanta in Bergamo just three weeks later.
Reflecting on the Italian job, the pacy back-four operator added: “I was just doing my thing. That’s what the game needed and having the opportunity to show that part of my game, it was massive for everybody.
“Whatever the game needs, myself and the rest of my team will do what we need.
“I’m here to live my dream and my dream is play football overseas in Europe and play football every single day.
“So, to be able to do it for this historic club, it’s a dream come true. We try to go at every game like it’s a Cup Final. Obviously, I haven’t been here in a Cup Final yet, but my mentality won’t change if it’s a Cup Final or not.
“We try to treat every game the same, with the same intensity, because that’s how you end up getting results.
“Growing up in a small town outside Philadelphia, playing the Champions League, it’s a dream come true. So, every moment I get to play for this club and play in this competition, I don’t take it for granted.”
*DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Dinamo Zagreb v Celtic this evening – only in your champion CQN.
