Sheffield United's Auston Trusty outlines his Bramall Lane ulterior motive in relegation fight

Auston Trusty hopes his performances with Sheffield United will help him to become a fixture on the international stage. Trusty has been a regular in the Blades line-up in the Premier League this season, making a spot in Chris Wilder's defensive line his own and despite the the club's struggle for traction, he has fared well at times.

As such, the 25-year-old American has ambitions of forcing his way into Gregg Berhalter's plans with the United States national side. Trusty, who hails from Pennsylvania and started his career with Philadelphia Union, represented the US at various age levels as a youngster and while he does have two senior caps to his name, he is yet to fully breakthrough at international level.

Those caps came in last season's CONCACAF Nations League competition, which the US won, but he has not been involved for his country since. However, 2024 could be a big year for the Stars and Stripes, with another Nations League semi-final to play later this month before this summer's Copa America and the Olympics.

Trusty would love to be involved in all three competitions, especially with the US hosting the Copa America, but he knows he must remain focused on his club form with the Blades, who are fighting relegation at the foot of the Premier League.

"I think you're always thinking about it, no matter who you are," Trusty said in an interview with Goal. "You have to be prepared for it by performing well for your club team. You can't come into it with a mindset of like 'Oh, I should be with the national team and stuff,' because the thing is you can't go to the national team without performing.

"You have to focus on the main thing, which is your club team and performing there and then the rest takes care of itself. That's why you hear a lot of guys say 'Oh, I'm not thinking about the national team' because you almost can't allow yourself to think about it because it takes away from the number one thing you're doing."

He added: "One of the biggest and best advice I've ever gotten from a coach was that I only can control what I can control. When I was younger, I used to get really tied up and think about the national team and dive in deeper like 'why did they do this and do that?', but at the end of the day, I can't control people's decisions and I can't control people's actions. I'm just going to control mine and that's me advancing my career by doing my thing and just doing me.

"You've seen that since I started in Philadelphia, in Colorado, then moved to Arsenal and went to Birmingham now playing in the Premier League with Sheffield United. I've just focused on myself and controlled what I can control and, other than that, I can't do anything else. I can't control [the USMNT selections], but of course, I want to be there and in the mix.

"I can only control what I can control. Whether that's Nations League, Copa America, Olympics... whatever it takes. Whatever God puts in my path, I'll take advantage of it but I want it all. I want to be involved in all of that."