Arsenal star details what he bought family with very first pay check
Arsenal centre-back Auston Trusty kept his first significant purchase simple after signing with the club. The 24-year-old didn't want a Mercedes or a nice watch. Instead, he has revealed he bought a "big meal" for his family when the direct deposit hit.
Given his upwards football trajectory, many more feasts could come. Trusty has taken an exhilarating journey since Arsenal signed him in January 2022. He spent six more months with the Colorado Rapids, then went on loan to Birmingham City in the Championship, where fans voted him their Player of the Season after he impressed in 44 league appearances.
Following the whirlwind of moves, Trusty is happy to be back in the U.S. for Arsenal's ongoing tour of his home nation. Trusty grew up a three-hour drive from the Washington, D.C., area, leading a swarm of family members to attend Arsenal events in the coming days.
He has a big family — he's one of six kids, and his father is one of eight. Born in Media, Pennsylvania, he played for Bethlehem Steel and the Philadelphia Union before his first major transfer to the Rapids, so there are friends from those days set to come down as well.
It's a bit surreal for him to participate in a game featuring MLS All-Stars on Thursday night while being on the visiting side. "I would think they're crazy," he said of what he'd think if someone told him the situation even a few years ago. "I'm gonna [savour] it my whole life and as a little kid I couldn't be more proud. ... It's practically a home game for me."
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This is Trusty's first extended opportunity to train alongside Arsenal players because he hopped straight to Birmingham when he left Colorado. He said he's blown away by the skill level of an already strong squad that has added forward Kai Havertz and midfielder Declan Rice to its ranks this summer.
Auston Trusty and Folarin Balogun are Arsenal's USMNT representatives during the start of the 2023 US tour (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)But Trusty is wary of this being a brief moment in the spotlight that Arsenal fans forget about within a couple of years, one of many young players who inevitably can't quite break into a strong team. He said being an American abroad has given him a chip on his shoulder that helps him in these moments. Asked directly about his future, the defender indicated another loan deal isn't his priority.
"My mindset here is to be here, man," he said. "My mindset has been here since the beginning. So I'm not focused on anything else. I'm focused on day by day. You can ask anybody how I approach things. my mindset has always been focused on day by day. You never can control the future but I'm focusing on myself."
Arsenal were thin at centre-back during the second half of the season after William Saliba sustained a back injury, so Trusty may feel he can earn a place as a depth player in 2023/24. However, the Gunners are reportedly willing to sell him permanently amid transfer interest from Championship clubs.
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