Arsenal v Sheffield United: 'Delusional' Auston Trusty needs no lessons in upsetting the odds

It takes a big leap of faith to suggest an American who used to have to "bribe" his brother for a kickabout and whose friends were not interested in football – at least not proper football, a centre-back sold by Arsenal after an 18-month spell which saw all his senior games come on loan at Colorado Rapids and with Championship Birmingham City should be playing Premier League football at Ashburton Grove's grand, modern stadium on Saturday.

Barring a late mishap – and given the Blades' injury record lately, it cannot be ruled out – that is exactly what the 25-year-old will be doing.

It would be disrespectful and untrue to say if Trusty can play in the Premier League anything is possible, but it certainly shows what footballers are capable of if they put their mind to it. For bottom-of-the-Premier League Sheffield United to claim their first win this season against Mikel Arteta's formidable Gunners, they will also need to be "delusionally confident" but it might just happen.

If footballers were realists, none would try some of the outrageous things they do, things which every now and then come off.

"I used to literally go to bed, close my eyes and dream of walking out on the pitch, the crowd yelling and seeing the lights," said a footballer intelligent enough to understand what literally means.

"When I had my first start, at Fulham, I had dreamt of that moment.

"That got me really emotional because I had literally seen that moment in my dreams since I was eight years-old so it's pretty cool for me."

It was an unusual dream for an eight year-old American boy in the noughties.

"In the States it wasn't as big growing up," explains Trusty. "I used to bribe my brother to play 30 minutes and I'd play lacrosse with him.

"I grew up in a great neighbourhood but we would all play American football, basketball and baseball – never soccer.

"My friends would never watch so I'd have to look it up on YouTube because in the US you've got to have the (right) channel and I didn't."

His zig-zagging career path since has taught him valuable lessons.

"You have to back yourself no matter what," says Trusty. "You won’t get anywhere as a footballer without belief in your ability. If you can convince yourself that ‘I do what I say I’m going to do’ it goes a long way.

"Everything happens for a reason and I'm happy how it turned out.

"I signed for Arsenal from Colorado Rapids and went back on loan there for six months. I then went to Birmingham City.

"Would I have loved to play for Arsenal and get Premier League minutes? Yes, I would have loved that. However, I got Premier League minutes here at Sheffield United.

"Birmingham gave me an opportunity to come to a historic club like this. I can be nothing but thankful for my time there and I look at it only as a positive."

It was, he says, about "trying to prove to myself that I could play here.

"As soon as I did it at Luton Town, once I played that game, I thought, 'I got it!’ and sky-rocketed from there.

"I was just focused on playing in the Championship and now the Premier League against the best players in the entire world.

"As a defender you don’t always get to shine but if I can lock up a striker who is hyped up – and a guy I’ve watched on TV – then it’s a huge thing for me. As long as I know I can lock him up, nothing else matters."

With challenges every weekend, Trusty downplays the significance of "Arsenal away".

"This is my first year in the Premier League, so I was looking forward to every fixture," he says.

"You go through the team-sheets and every single one of them are legit and complete threats, no matter who you play against.

"In the MLS, it would be a couple of guys in the team and then in the Championship it’s a few more. But at this level it’s every guy in the team."

It is why Sheffield United will probably lose on Saturday. But "probably" are odds the delusionally confident relish.

"Looking at results you would expect we're getting smacked every game but we’ve been in a lot of games to be fair – it just hasn’t gone our way," argues Trusty.

"All it takes in one result and what everyone says about us totally changes.

"Whether you guys believe it's realistic or not, if our goal is not to win in the Premier League then we’re here for the wrong reasons.

"As a footballer you have to be delusionally confident, that no matter what, it’s always going to work out. It can never go in your mind that the worst is going to happen.

"We’re confident that we can get out of this rut.

"We just have to get results and once you get that it’s like it (the winless run) never even happened."

Deluded? Maybe. But it is much better than defeatist.