Celtic star Auston Trusty has returned to the fold ahead of this weekend's Premiership clash with Falkirk.
The defender was given time off due to the death of his father, which led to him missing the last two games. Trusty posted an emotional statement following the passing of his father, and while we don't know what followed, the expectation is that he returned to his home country, the US, to spend time with his family for a short time during his absence from the Celtic group.
Trusty has been a key player again this season, regularly featuring as a starter, and he is generally thought of as one of the two starting Celtic centre-backs when fit, along with fellow USMNT international Cameron Carter-Vickers.
As per images from Friday, Trusty returned to training on Friday and trained alongside his teammates. It is unclear whether the centre-back is in contention for Sunday's Premiership clash with Falkirk, but he will almost certainly be available for the must-win Europa League clash with Besiktas next Thursday.
Dane Murray and Liam Scales have been Celtic's go-to centre-backs during Trusty's absence, and with Cameron Carter-Vickers having spent time out with a muscle strain.
Carter-Vickers made his return off the bench against Hibs but did not start on Wednesday night. Who O'Neill goes with against Falkirk is anyone's guess, but it would be a surprise if he didn't turn back to his more trusted and experienced pairing of Trusty and Carter-Vickers for the Besiktas game.
The Bhoys realistically have to win if they want to progress in the competition, given defeat would leave them needing 9-10 points from four games, and one of them is against Marseille.
Besiktas will offer a stern test, and Celtic have to improve defensively, both in terms of actual defenders and midfielders, ahead of that game.
UPDATE: Martin O'Neill has since said the following: "Yeah, we're fine, we think. I think Auston Trusty is going back home, I think it's a celebration of his father's life." The defender will not be available this weekend as a result.
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