Auston Trusty has spoken about his fellow Celtic and USA central defender, Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Since coming to Glasgow on an initial loan deal in 2021, Carter-Vickers has been a mainstay when fit, though injuries have increasingly got in the way of this,
This culminated in a serious Achilles tendon injury sustained last October, which has ruled him out for the remainder of this season, as well as a home World Cup this summer.
It’s cruel timing for the 28-year-old, who played the entirety of the USA’s clash with Iran at the previous edition of the tournament.
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Auston Trusty: Celtic teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers ‘proud’ of USA
Asked about the unfortunate injury, Trusty said that his teammate is remaining positive, saying: “I think he’s excited for the country.
“I think regardless of the situation, you want soccer (football) to advance in the country and keep growing and to inspire the next generation.
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“Obviously, I think he’s sad to maybe be out of the mix, and a couple of other guys have gotten injured.
“I think he’s proud of all of us, whoever’s in it to enhance the game in America.”
On preparing for the tournament in general, he said: “It’s tough to really have [the World Cup] in the background and have so much to play for here and not really think about it.
“But I think all of us who could possibly be involved in the World Cup for their countries just have to stay grounded and take it day by day.”
Finally, he compared USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino to Martin O’Neill, saying of the former: “He’s good, obviously. He’s a world-class coach.
“He’s coached some of the best players – if not the best players – in the entire world. So he’s a good guy, but also it’s really good to learn from him.
“Every coach is different. Some are managers, some are coaches, some are both. I think Mauricio is really, really hands-on and Martin is too. It’s hard to really compare.”
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Celtic players playing at the World Cup
Along with the USA representatives, Celtic will have players at both of the other host nations in Alistair Johnston at Canada and Julian Araujo at Mexico.
Of course, Kieran Tierney’s stunning goal against Denmark is the reason why Scotland are back at the tournament after 28 years. Anthony Ralston and James Forrest could also be with him.
There will be Celtic players playing for three of the four teams in Group F: Benjamin Nygren of Sweden, Sebastian Tounekti of Tunisia and Daizen Maeda of Japan.
Hyunjun Yang is the only other Celtic player currently looking likely to be involved.
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