Raheem Sterling’s inner circle has issued a statement minutes after learning of his exclusion from Chelsea’s opening Premier League game of the season against Manchester City on Sunday.
The season has started with an internal war at Chelsea. While the Blues are buying and buying in the summer transfer window, they still have a lot of selling to do and the fire has been raging within the squad.
New manager Enzo Maresca has not called up Raheem Sterling for Sunday’s game against Manchester City, prompting anger from the England player in his inner circle.
Minutes after it became official that Sterling would not be included in the squad, the team sent a statement to the ‘Daily Mail’, expressing their disappointment and surprise at the decision.
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively,” they claimed.
Asked about his decision to leave out Sterling, Maresca told ‘Sky Sports’: “The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don’t like it, that’s normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that,” he said.
