- Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended the club's decision to make out-of-favour pair Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi train separately from the first team.
- Maresca compared their situations to that of his 75-year-old father, a fisherman for 50 years who worked from “two o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock in the morning”, saying this “is sad in life”.
- The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has reportedly contacted Chelsea regarding the conditions under which Sterling and Disasi are working.
- Maresca confirmed he has not spoken to either player this season, and they are kept entirely separate from the main squad, training and eating alone.
- FIFA regulations exist concerning players isolated from squads, which could potentially allow individuals to terminate their contracts early.
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