The international break is always a period when club fans are worried about those away with their national teams. There can be injuries, and as we have seen with Kasper Schmeichel, they can prove to be career-altering ones. For the majority of the season, it looked like he played below 100 per cent for Celtic, and now, his playing career might be over for good as he stares at a 12-18 month rehab at 39 years of age.

So, clubs are mostly hoping that players return without picking up any issues, no matter how they perform for their national teams.

There was mixed news regarding Auston Trusty in that respect. He was one of the United States' standout performers in their game against Portugal.

Portugal did end up winning 2-0, with the goals coming from Trincao and Joao Felix. Trusty did enhance his reputation though, as he started the game and played more than 90 minutes against one of the best teams in world football.

Trusty seemed fearless and defended on the front foot. And with Cameron Carter-Vickers looking likely to miss the World Cup through injury, he might have secured his place on the plane to the World Cup.

That being said, Trusty might have picked up an issue of his own late in the game against Portugal. He went down and had to replaced in the 91st minute.

Celtic fans will be hoping that it was nothing and just cramps, combined with being tired after more than 90 minutes of football against a team like Portugal.

Trusty has been one of Celtic's better players this season. And as they look to finish the campaign strong, the American picking up any kind of injury, no matter how minor, would not be ideal for the Hoops, who already look suspect at the back.

Of course, Celtic have a lot of shortcomings at the moment. They have not been helped by injury problems though, as key players have picked up one issue or another over the course of the campaign.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Arne Engels, Julian Araujo and several others have dealt with mid to long-term injury problems this season. Jota has not even featured, having been injured in the previous campaign.

So, Celtic's struggles on the pitch cannot simply be put down to just poor squad planning and underwhelming performances. It has been a combination of issues, with fitness definitely being one of them.

Of course, in the long run, Celtic need to find a solution. Perhaps, for a club that plays so much football, a better load management strategy needs to be put in place. But for now, they just need to find a way to get over the finish line this season. Hopefully, Trusty will play his part in that.

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