Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says father's life as a fisherman 'harder' than Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi's

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has dismissed sympathy for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, saying his father led a much more "hard life" as a fisherman than his club's so-called 'bomb squad' players.

The Italian's comments followed Chelsea's talks with the Professional Footballers' Association about the ongoing exclusion of Sterling and Disasi from Maresca's first-team squad.

When asked about the duo training separately from his team, Maresca said: "I've been in Raheem's and Axel's situation as a player.

"For sure, I know it is not the best feeling for a player. For different reasons, the situation is the situation at the moment, but I know the club is giving them the situation to work in the right way."

Asked if the situation is mentally challenging for the duo, the 45-year-old added: "My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he's been a fisherman, working from two o'clock in the morning till 10 o'clock in the morning.

"This is a hard life - not the way a player works."

The PFA are in contact with the Blues to ensure that Sterling and Disasi have the platform to train to an optimum level despite not being involved with the senior team.

World football's governing body Fifa has strict regulations over players who are isolated from squads in circumstances that could constitute 'abusive conduct' by the club, which may entitle an individual to terminate his contract citing 'just cause'.

Maresca added: "When no solution is found, you give the player all the tools to train and do anything, but if you are not in the squad, you are not in the squad.

"It's not about Chelsea, it is about any club in the world."

Sterling, 30, who was expected to leave Chelsea this summer, has just under two years left on his £325,000-per-week deal.

Several overseas clubs, including Juventus, Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen, showed interest in Sterling, but he preferred to stay in London to remain close to his family.

Arsenal opted against signing their loanee from last season, while Fulham signed alternative options for their wide positions.

Meanwhile, Disasi, whose contract expires in 2029, sought a loan move to his former club Monaco, but they did not make a formal offer.

In the meantime, loan moves to Bournemouth, Sunderland and West Ham were rejected by the France international and collapsed by the transfer deadline earlier this month.

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