“Shut up, what a load of nonsense” - Liverpool legend blasts Maresca for bringing fisherman dad example into Sterling treatment at Chelsea

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has slammed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for his comments on axed players Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi. The player-turned-pundit believes that the manager should ensure players do not train on their own and instead join the U23 side.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said that Maresca's comments, comparing the hard work of the players to that of his father, a fisherman, are unwanted and a 'load of nonsense'. He added that the Chelsea manager's comments about being in a similar position as Sterling and Disasi show that he understands how hard it is on players and should have done enough to ensure it never happened to any of his players. He said:

“I actually find Maresca’s comments [on Sterling’s treatment] garbage. How do you bring your dad into it? Just because your dad’s a fisherman and gets up at 2 AM and works till 10, what’s that got to do with the price of bread? Shut up, what a load of nonsense. The fact that Maresca turns around and says, ‘I was in a similar situation’, that’s the very reason you don’t do that to those players. You know how bad it makes them feel." "If you’re not having them in this squad, and you want to move them on, that’s fine. But you don’t have to treat them like five and six-year-olds. Get them training with the U23s when they normally train, and that way you’re treating them professionally. They haven’t done anything other than the fact that you don’t want them. It’s not their fault they are on good money, particularly Sterling, so don’t treat them like garbage.”

Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have been out of Enzo Maresca's plans at Chelsea and were free to leave in the summer. Both players failed to secure moves despite having offers, and the Italian manager has insisted on not adding them back to the squad.

What did Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca say about Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi?

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was asked about Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi facing a mental challenge to stay focused amid the axe when he hit back at the media. He claimed that players training on their own is not hard, and added that having a tough life is similar to his father's, who used to go out to sea at 2 am and work until 10 am for 50 years. He said (via BBC):

"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."

Raheem Sterling posted a photo of training at Cobham at 8 pm earlier this week, leading to the PFA holding talks with Chelsea. Axel Disasi, who had offers from Bournemouth, West Ham United, and AS Monaco, has also been training on his own.

Edited by Sripad