Brendan Rodgers hailed Auston Trusty for his display against Kilmarnock – and said that’s what he expects from a Celtic centre-back.
The Hoops boss was critical of the American’s performance at Dens Park in midweek after a 3-3 draw with Dundee. Rodgers accused the defender of being weak when Luke Donnelly scored for the home side. But Trusty bounced back against Kilmarnock as Celtic beat them 2-1 in the Scottish Cup to progress to the last 16. Rodgers praised him for standing up to the visitors’ physical threat and challenged him to produce it consistently.
The manager said: “I talked about Auston the other night but you see his response today – I thought it was excellent. He was big, strong, powerful – and that’s what we expect from a Celtic centre-half. Did he have a point to prove? Listen, a lot of the time at Celtic, you may not have so much to do as a defender, especially at home.
“I always think you get your chance to shine away from home, where you’ve got to stand up and be strong. That’s your bread and butter.
“I thought he was brilliant today. I’m really pleased for him and the team because that was a really good win. The scoreline probably doesn’t reflect our dominance in the game.
“I spoke to Auston after the game on Tuesday and the next day. We draw a line under it and he knows exactly where he stands. These are men, they’re not little boys. So you can talk openly and honestly to them, that’s what every player will tell you.
“His response was excellent, he was good in training and you could see his focus. That’s what I expect because in the big games, like against Leipzig and Atalanta, he’s been colossal for us. But if you’re going to have consistency, the level has got to be up there.”
Rodgers must now prepare his side for their biggest game of the season against Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday night. A victory at Parkhead over the Swiss will secure a play-off place at least in the knock-out phase.
And the manager said: “We know what the objective was for the tournament this season. I think we’ve done really well until this point but we want to get over the line and into the knockout stages.
“It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere and I’m excited about the opportunity we have. In the main, apart from Dortmund, we’ve shown up well in this competition, and we want to keep that going.”