Former USA international Brek Shea believes Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers could still earn moves to England if they continue performing for Celtic.

The two defenders have been important figures for the United States in recent years, while also giving Celtic a strong American presence at the back.

Follow every move in and out with our Celtic transfer news.

Shea, who won 34 caps for the United States, says he is pleased to see both players at a big club and playing regular football, but believes there could still be another move ahead for them.

Speaking to Jackpot City Casino, Shea said: “I’m a fan of Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers and I want all our players playing at big clubs and having success. I mean those guys they’ve featured almost every game, right? And I want them to be playing and if they’re playing every day, that helps us at the end of the day.

“And I know they could still make another move, hopefully to England. I mean Cameron Carter-Vickers came through Tottenham, and he is definitely comfortable over there. And then Trusty, he’s a very athletic player and has done well with the national team. So I don’t see why not.”

Carter-Vickers already knows English football well after coming through at Spurs and spending time on loan in the Championship before finding a home at Celtic.

Shea was clear that he was not trying to dismiss Celtic, but he did suggest the pair may want to be tested in a league with more weekly depth.

He added: “Obviously no disrespect to the Scottish league, but there’s only a few teams that they have to really worry about every year. So there’s some pros and cons to that for every learning ability for players. I mean, you can feel the confidence, you can work on things, but also for them, I know as athletes you want to be tested. So hopefully they can get a move to a bigger club at some point. Not that Celtic isn’t.”

Celtic fans will likely take issue with parts of that, especially the “bigger club” line, even with Shea’s late clarification.

Carter-Vickers has to get back fit, while Trusty needs to keep forcing his way into O’Neill’s plans during a packed run of fixtures.

Shea’s comments, though, show the outside view has not changed much. From a US perspective, both defenders are still seen as Celtic players who could yet have another crack at England.