How has Auston Trusty got on at Celtic since leaving Sheffield United? | OneFootball

It's not everyday you see a defender swap the Championship for the Champions League

Auston Trusty’s one season with Sheffield United is already starting to fade away from memory, with the centre-back now plying his trade for Glasgow giants Celtic.

Trusty was part of the Blades side relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2023/24 season, with the 26-year-old making a handful of appearances at the start of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

The American defender swapped Bramall Lane for Celtic Park on deadline day back in August, but how has Trusty fared north of the border?

Trusty’s short stint at Sheffield United produced a profit for the Blades

Trusty arrived at Sheffield United ahead of their return to the Premier League in 2023, the Blades officially paying Arsenal an undisclosed fee to secure his services.

The defender never made a competitive appearance for the Gunners nor played in the Premier League, but had been named Birmingham City’s player of the season following an impressive 2022/23 Championship campaign.

It’s safe to say Blades fans did not get to see the best of the American during his time in Yorkshire.

Despite being part of a defence that conceded a record 104 goals in the Premier League last term, Trusty still found suitors, but it would not be until the end of the summer transfer window in 2024.

Celtic eventually swooped in for the American international, ending Trusty’s time at Bramall Lane just over 12 months into a four-year contract.

Sheffield United reportedly made a minor profit with the sale, after apparently paying £5million to Arsenal for his services.

Reports at the time suggested that Celtic paid around £6million for the 26-year-old.

From the Championship to the Champions League for Auston Trusty

Heavy losses were a fact of life at Bramall Lane during the 2023/24 Premier League season.

Sheffield United’s 8-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United was one of six Premier League games Trusty did not play in last season, with the American watching on from the bench.

However, Trusty very much was involved in a thrashing on his full Champions League debut.

Having appeared off the bench in Celtic’s opening 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, Trusty was handed his first start in Europe’s elite competition away at German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Trusty endured the entire 90 minutes as Dortmund put seven past the Bhoys, with Daizen Maeda’s early strike proving very scant consolation in a 7-1 defeat in Germany.

That being said, it has gotten better for Trusty in the Champions League, who has gone on to make nine appearances in the competition – featuring in every one of Celtic’s European games so far.

A ball-playing centre-back, Trusty ranks highly against peers in the Champions League for passes completed and touches of the ball.

He also has decent numbers when it comes to more traditional defensive tasks, with his 10 tackles in the competition ranking him in the 88% percentile of centre-backs in the Champions League.

Thanks to his 6ft 3in frame Trusty also fares well in the air, winning 17 of his aerial duels.

Celtic fan opinion of Auston Trusty fairly positive

Whilst all football fans are prone to recency bias, Trusty’s strong performance for the Bhoys against Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich on Wednesday night has led to a lot of plaudits given to the former Gunner.

However, it has not all been plain sailing for Trusty in Glasgow, with the centre-back taking time to settle at Celtic.

At perennial trophy winners Celtic the expectations of fans are vastly different to that of Sheffield United supporters during a relegation battle in the Premier League.