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Reason Auston Trusty started over Nawrocki for Celtic vs St Johnstone revealed
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The Polish central defender unexpectedly came into the starting lineup for the Parkhead side against Rangers a few weeks ago and kept his place when Heart of Midlothian visited Glasgow’s east end last Saturday.
Despite performing amicably in both matches, Nawrocki dropped to the bench as Celtic travelled to face St Johnstone in Perth over the weekend.
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Trusty came into the team at his expense, and speaking pre-match, Rodgers addressed the alteration: “I think over a period of time Auston [Trusty] has done well,” he told Sky Sports.
“He obviously wasn’t fit enough to play in the second game against Hearts.
“I think it’s a big credit to Maik [Nawrocki] because he hadn’t played in a long time leading into the Rangers game, so it shows you his professionalism that he came into that game and against Herts, he didn’t put a foot wrong.
“But I prefer to have a left-sided player on that side of the pitch.”
Celtic’s first loss to St Johnstone in nine years put the champagne on ice for at least a few more weeks as they seek to get their hands on a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title.
Rodgers’ men remain two victories away from winning the league, although they could secure their 55th championship next weekend, should they beat Kilmarnock on Saturday and Rangers lose to Aberdeen on Sunday.
