The 'aggressive' Celtic star showing maturity beyond his years as Champions League word of warning sent

“It’s good, it gives us momentum,” said the level-headed American. “We scored a good number of goals, but it’s another 90 minutes to go and all eyes are on the next game.”

It was a measured response after a night in which Celtic recovered from a sluggish start to produce an emphatic result at a raucous Celtic Park. The clean sheet was as significant as the goals scored from Camilo Duran and Benjamin Nygren, particularly against dangerous opposition who showed in the opening stages that they possess the pace and directness to cause Martin O'Neill's side problems.

The Austrians repeatedly looked to exploit space in behind Celtic’s defensive line, with their strike pairing of Moses Usor and Samuel Adeniran posing a constant threat. Trusty acknowledged those warning signs and insists Celtic cannot afford to rest on their laurels by turning a comfortable European position into an uncomfortable situation.

League phase football is now within reach, but the need for discipline remains as Celtic travel to Linz for the return fixture. Yet, Trusty took great satisfaction in seeing a glitzy new forward line build up a welcome first leg advantage, admitting added quality in the final third has instilled more confidence in the side.

“You can’t be cocky, you can’t be too full of yourself,” he declared. “Football is a crazy environment where if you give teams momentum, they can take it. They're at home next week, so we've just got to go over there and play our game. But we'll have our fans cheering us on.

“They like to play the ball in behind. Sort that out and then I think we will be solid. Cam [Carter Vickers) and I have good chemistry, Colby [Donovan] has come in, doing a solid job. All of us in the back line have good chemistry and Viljami [Sinisalo] is leading behind us.

“It was a good showing from our guys up front. That’s what you want to see, especially as a defender. So I'm really happy."

That unity will be tested again in Austria. Celtic’s position in the tie has also highlighted the strength in depth available to boss Martin O'Neill. The absence of Alistair Johnston was initially viewed as a significant blow, but academy graduate Donovan stepped in and delivered an assured performance at right-back.

Trusty was among those impressed by the 19-year-old's maturity and praised the youngster’s potential. “He’s very aggressive. Last year in the Europa League, me and him had a good partnership on the right side. He’s very young but you think he’s a lot older than he is. He performs well on the big stage too, so that’s what you want to see.”

Donovan’s emergence is evidence of a squad capable of overcoming setbacks without a dramatic reduction in quality, Trusty reckons. While Johnston’s layoff led to the withdrawal of an established starter, it has simultaneously provided an opportunity for his understudy to demonstrate that he belongs at this level.

“That’s the squad you want,” Trusty confessed. “You want people to be able to step in and do a job. Only 11 can start, and five subs, but anybody that comes into the game, we have a squad where people can affect the game. It's not really a big drop-off at all.”