Auston Trusty Celtic redemption from ‘weak’ Dundee showing has Brendan Rodgers changing tune

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Auston Trusty got it tight from all angles in the aftermath of Celtic’s draw with Dundee last week.

Brendan Rodgers accused Trusty of “weak” defending for two of the goals in the 3-3 draw at Dens Park.

Chris Sutton was also critical of the USA international as he insisted the defender “thought he could coast it” only to come up short in the Scottish Premiership clash.

Trusty appeared “rattled” in that match but he pulled it together in the Hoops’ 2-1 win over Kilmarnock yesterday evening in their Scottish Cup tie in Glasgow.

• READ MORE: What Celtic could ‘definitely’ have done better in narrow Kilmarnock Scottish Cup win

Rodgers praised Trusty for improving from Celtic’s Dundee draw

It would have felt like redemption for the American who might have believed pre-match that he had something to prove to both his manager and the fans in the stands.

Trusty has developed a bond with Cameron Carter-Vickers at the back and it showed.

Rodgers was full of praise for his player this time around in the aftermath of the victory as he talked up the 26-year-old’s qualities as “big, strong and powerful”.

For the manager, a line had been drawn the day after the Dens Park clash after a frank and honest conversation with the player.

And Rodgers believes that should always be the way to handle difficult moments with players who are “not little boys” and can handle his straight shooting.

How Rodgers likes to handle Celtic stars in difficult moments

“I will say, as I talked about Auston Trusty the other night, and then you see his response, I thought it was excellent today,” Rodgers said.

“Big, strong, powerful, and that’s what we expect from a Celtic centre-half.

“He’d realised himself. A lot of the time at Celtic, you may not have so much to do, especially at home.

“You’re there, and I always think that you get your chance to shine away from home, where you’ve got to stand up and be strong, and that’s your bread and butter.

“Then there’ll be times at home, like today, where you’ve got to stand up and be counted, and I thought he was brilliant at that.

“I spoke to him after the [Dundee] game, I spoke to him the next day. You draw a line under it, he knows exactly where he stands.

“These are men, these are men. They’re not little boys. You can talk openly and honestly to them, and that’s what every player will tell you.

“His response was excellent, he was good in training, so he had to train.

“You could see his focus, and that’s what I expect, because in the big games, the Leipzig, Atalanta, he’s been colossal in those games.”