LONDON (AP) – Enzo Maresca’s father spends Raheem Sterling’s training time on the week.
The Chelsea manager cited his father’s tough employed as a fisherman to see the challenges faced by players Sterling and Axel Disassi, who are isolated from the first team.
“My dad is 75 and for 50 years he has been a (a) fisherman and has worked from 2am to 10am,” the Italian coach said Friday ahead of the Chelsea game at Manchester United. “This is a sad thing in life and not a player in the way they work.”
Neither player belongs to Maresca’s plan, and the coach says he hasn’t spoken to them this season. Both players are separated from the team, trained and eaten alone, and are kept at a different time than the rest of the team.
Earlier this week, 30-year-old Sterling posted a photo on her Instagram account showing the club’s empty training grounds, saying “training” at 8:21pm, “training” with a handshake and a cold face.
The former England winger, who was not impressed with his loan at Arsenal last season, reportedly refused the transfer option to keep him away from London. He remains on the contract for two years.
“I was in Raheem’s situation and Axel situation as a player,” Mareska said. “If you’re a player, that means you want to train and play the game, so I know that it’s not the best feeling for a player.”
Such a fallout will happen at all clubs, he added.
“It’s not just Chelsea, it’s not a club in the world. You can promise. When for some reason the players and clubs can’t find a solution, they give players all the tools to do a training session and do it all, but if you’re not involved in the squad, you’re not involved in the squad,” Maresca said.
The manager was then asked about the potential impact of mental health on players who responded with an analogy about their father.
Defender Disasi joined Chelsea from Monaco two years ago and has signed a contract until 2029. He financed Aston Villa later in the season.
Chelsea, that Bayern Munich lost 3-1 In the mid-week Champions League, he will play at Old Trafford on Saturday night.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
