Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has defended the treatment the club has given to Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi who have been frozen out of the first team, Afrosport reports.
Sterling and Disasi are surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and are currently training alone away from their teammates and also the academy.
It has raised some concern with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) looking into the matter but Maresca stated the players needs to handle it the right way.
Maresca also rejected claims the situation could affect Sterling and Disasi mentally, using his 75-year-old father who is a fisherman and works for long hours as an example of someone with a strong mentality.
“I’ve been in Raheem and Axel’s situation as a player and for sure I know it is not the best feeling,” he said ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.
“For different reasons, the situation is the situation. The club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and that is all I can say.
“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he’s been a fisherman, working from 2 o’clock in the morning till 10 o’clock in the morning.
“This is hard in life – not the way a player works.”
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Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League standings, winning two games and drawing another two.
