'Here for a reason': Celtic ace lifts lid on tough start and delivers Champions League verdict fans will love

Appearing from the Celtic Park dressing room at just past 11pm, the Pennsylvania native had just shackled £50million-rated striker Benjamin Sesko a few hours beforehand but oozed a calmness and composure as he spoke to the media, his imposing figure basking in the glow of the blinding floodlights.

“I’m here for a reason,” said Trusty. “Any chance I get, I’m going to take it. The games come thick and fast here, which is hard but also a blessing. These are big important games for a historic club. I rolled my ankle pretty bad in the first-half. It was hurting for the rest of the game.

“But you play for these nights and these kind of atmospheres. As a little kid, you’re dreaming of playing on this field and in this environment, I’m not going to let a little ankle strain get me down.”

Despite still clearly feeling some pain his ankle following the game, Trusty showed no signs of discomfort during the 90-plus minutes as he outmuscled Leipzig hotshots Sesko and Loïs Openda. Offering perhaps his best display yet in green and white, Trusty was monstrous at the back as he won 100 per cent of his tackles, 100 per cent of his ground duels and completed 98 per cent of his passes accurately.

Brought in on deadline day for a fee for £5million from Sheffield United, the American defender had to be patient upon arrival at Celtic Park. However, after making his tenth consecutive start for the club against Leipzig, his outstanding form coupled with Celtic’s seemingly unstoppable momentum makes it easy to forget how challenging Trusty’s start in the east end of Glasgow was.

Defensive duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales had just broken a 118-year club record by keeping six consecutive league clean sheets, but when Trusty was first brought into the team, they conceded their first goals of the domestic season on his full debut as second-tier Falkirk breached the Celtic twice in the first-half of a 5-2 Premier Sports Cup win.

With Carter-Vickers suffering an injury, Trusty kept his place and was thrust into the limelight, getting his first Champions League start for the club away to Borussia Dortmund, but with Rodgers’ side destroyed 7-1 at Signal Iduna Park, it was a night to forget for club and player alike. A narrow 2-1 victory at Ross County followed by a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen had kept Celtic top but saw 12 goals lost in just four games, coinciding with Trusty’s introduction to the side.

His inauspicious start to life in Glasgow had naturally left some in doubt of the player’s talent, but his warrior-like display in the 0-0 draw with Atalanta offered supporters a glimpse into his abilities. Three weeks on from that night in Bergamo, Trusty has progressed rapidly at Celtic with a series of outstanding performances that have saw him win the battle to partner Carter-Vickers in defence.

Assessing his first three months with the champions, the assured American clearly didn’t lose any self-belief in those challenging first few weeks, as he revealed one of the key reasons he wanted to join the club.

“I am confident and I know I play in a confident team,” said Trusty. “Unfortunately football is like that. Dortmund didn’t miss that day, everything went their way. It sucks, but it is football, you have to accept it and move on. You live it, and you learn it, and you can only move forward.

“When I was deciding to come here, knowing that was an option [playing with Carter-Vickers] makes it exciting. To have two American centre-backs playing side-by-side in big important games is amazing. [Kasper Schmeichel] is class too, he is the real deal. It’s really good as a centre-back to know you have someone like that behind you. He really is a class player, it is an honour to play with him.”

While the big defender admits the intoxicating atmosphere of Tuesday’s night 3-1 victory against RB Leipzig was a life-affirming experience, it won’t detract from the bread and butter of a Scottish Premiership title fight, with Sunday’s encounter with Kilmarnock providing a completely different challenge.

“Coming here, you hear the stories,” Trusty smiles. “My debut was in the Champions League [as a substitute against Slovan Bratislava]. But to start this game, to be in this environment, it is a dream come true. The gaffer and the coaching staff don’t allow us to treat any game differently, though. We prepare for a Champions League match and a league match in the same way, with the same intensity.

“We, as a team, have to create our own environment. We have to train with a certain mentality. I’ve played on astroturf before, but football is football. It is different pitches, and you adjust. It is all mentality. The coaching staff don’t let us slip from that.”

Celtic face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.