Auston Trusty has opened up about Celtic's season, revealing that he believes he is entering his prime years as a player.
The centre-back has been a constant in the team this season due to the injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers. He is set to return at the start of next campaign, but Trusty will be fighting to keep his place after impressing this season.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "We’ve had some ups and downs, and it’s led us into this race to finish in first and win another cup. Historically, this club has been dominant, with so many highs. There have been years when Celtic would have won the league title by now, so it’s not the position we want to be in.
"But we’re here now, in an interesting space, and it keeps everyone sharp and fighting for a cause, to really go for it. Unfortunately, with football, there comes ebb and flow. We’ve had a bit of a down period, but you bounce back. We came together in the tough times. We became a stronger team mentally.
"Sometimes that can be what you need, and now there’s a chance to give fans something to cheer about. We can try to make up for our mistakes this year by winning two trophies."
He also touched on his development and where he thinks he is in his career. He said: "This is the most confident I’ve been. Physically, mentally, spiritually, I feel I’m entering my prime, where I understand and see the game.
"I feel confident I can execute on my understanding of the game, and playing at the highest level gets you to that. The experiences of the highs and the lows.
"Coming here and developing so many facets of my game, also developing the Celtic mentality, where you go out to win trophies, and you go out to win every single game, and you’re always pushing for more.
"I’m in a really good place going into my prime. I still want to grow and get better and better, but I feel I’m in the best position mentally and physically that I’ve been in my entire career."
Trusty can be great, but can he retain his spot?
Going into next season, both Trusty and Scales will be fighting to keep their spot alongside Carter-Vickers, who you would expect to come back into the side quickly. He has given himself a good case to retain his place, but Scales is widely considered to be one of the best players in the entire team this campaign.
Trusty is still a solid option, even if we drop him to the bench. That would be a difficult change for him if he were to go back to being a substitute, and he may look to play his football elsewhere. There is interest from Serie A in his services, so he could opt to make the move.
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