Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca offered an unusual perspective on the plight of exiled duo Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, suggesting that their situation pales in comparison to his father's life as a fisherman for 50 years.
Winger Sterling and defender Disasi are training separately from Chelsea's first team after Maresca declared the pair - who went out on loan last season - are not part of his plans.
Asked if their mental health could be affected by training in isolation and eating away from teammates, Maresca said: "My father is 75-years-old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from two in the morning until 10 o'clock in the morning.
"This is hard in life - not the way a player works."
Sterling and Disasi have contracts running until 2026 and 2029, respectively, and the Italian acknowledged the difficulty of their predicament while maintaining a philosophical stance.
"I've been in Raheem and Axel's situation as a player and, for sure, I know that it's not the best feeling for a player. You want to train and play games," Maresca told reporters.
"For different reasons, the situation is the situation it is at the moment. I know the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way."
More than 20 players left Chelsea in the close season but Sterling and Disasi remain, with the pair left out of the Champions League squad.
Earlier this week, Sterling posted a picture on Instagram showing how he was training under the lights after 8pm.
British media reported that the Professional Footballers' Association had contacted the club to ensure the two were being treated according to the terms of their contracts and Maresca insisted such situations are commonplace across world football.
"It's not just Chelsea, it's any club in the world, I can promise you. Italy, Spain, England, France, US, Brazil. When for any reason the player and the club don't find a solution, you give the player all the tools to train.
"But if you are not involved in the squad, you are not involved in the squad."
