Auston Trusty explains what Borussia Dortmund mauling did to Celtic psyche

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Celtic defender Auston Trusty made himself known on the Champions League stage last night with a brilliant individual performance against Atalanta.

Playing a pivotal role in earning the Hoops a priceless point, the United States international marshalled the defence alongside Liam Scales as the visitors laid it all on the line for a clean sheet.

Entering the spotlight, Auston Trusty played his best game for Celtic against Atalanta on Wednesday evening, at least in the opinion of Neil Lennon, who was mightily impressed by his anticipation.

Lennon stated: “Trusty was like a head on a stick. He headed everything. That’s the best he has played for Celtic by a country mile.”

Offering a fair assessment on Trusty, his comments come amid a wave of Champions League positivity sweeping through the club. At the start of the month, when the Bhoys were hammered 7-1 in Dortmund, that didn’t feel entirely possible.

Now, Trusty has opened up on how tasting defeat in Germany influenced the group to make sure their mistakes weren’t repeated against Atalanta and beyond.

Auston Trusty on Celtic’s psychological nature

Speaking after the Bhoys claimed a valuable draw against Atalanta, Trusty has detailed how Celtic rolled up their sleeves to bounce back on matchday three.

He stated [BBC Sport]: “The beauty of football is that if there was another game, we could react and show the world what team we really are

“Sometimes you just have those nights, and obviously that’s a night we’d never want to see again or feel again.

“I think that put a pin in our stomach, so we wanted to come out here and show the world what we can do to show the world what we are.

“I’m used to these situations and I think I can bring a lot of expertise to this squad and to this organisation where I can be a leader on the team, on and off the pitch.”

Auston Trusty is already leading from the front for Celtic

Noting his comments about leadership, it is fair to say Trusty backed up his ideals with a performance to match in Bergamo on Wednesday night.

The 26-year-old, who joined for £6 million from Sheffield United in the summer, completed 36 of his 39 attempted passes last night and carried out 18 defensive actions in total, becoming the enforcer in the backline.

Often tasked with being the one to charge out and foil the Atalanta attack, Trusty did so with aplomb, cementing his status as a growing influence at the club.