"He's very young but you think he's a lot older than he is. He performs well on the big stage too, so that's what you want to see." That's Auston Trusty's assessment of 19-year-old Colby Donovan after the teenager stepped in at right-back for injured Alistair Johnston in Celtic's Champions League first leg against Lask Linz. The performance underscores that Celtic's European credentials rest not on panic depth but on a squad so well-stocked that Johnston's injury did not derail the defence—and Trusty's endorsement suggests Donovan may have announced himself as a long-term asset.
Composure beyond his years
Celtic controlled the tie. Camilo Duran scored twice and Benjamin Nygren once to construct an advantage that ordinarily settles a European pairing. Donovan held his discipline across 90 minutes, a composed display that belied his age. His transition from recent Europa League appearances to the Champions League proper felt seamless. Trusty himself has cultivated that blend of positioning and aggression, and his faith in Donovan reflects genuine depth rather than stopgap cover.
The squad's form underscores the point. Celtic have won five consecutive matches, and Trusty rated 8.0 in a recent domestic outing, anchoring a backline that has absorbed Johnston's absence without pause. "That's the squad you want," Trusty said. "You want people to be able to step in and do a job. It's not really a big drop-off."
The caution that history teaches
Yet Lask Linz carried a warning. Moses Usor's strike was ruled offside after just 28 seconds, and another disallowed goal nearly rewrote the script. "You can't be cocky, you can't be too full of yourself," Trusty cautioned. "Football is a crazy environment where if you give teams momentum, they can take it." The wariness is earned. In 2017, Celtic fell 4-1 behind to Astana before escaping. In 2016, they survived Beer Sheva by one goal on aggregate. Those precedents shape Trusty's insistence that the second leg remains an ordeal.
Donovan has arrived. What Celtic face next is Lask Linz with nothing left to lose.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
