Dad's fisherman life more 'hard' than Sterling & Disasi's

Maresca celebrated winning the Conference League with his father, Pasquale, a former fisherman back in June

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."