Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been told by former Premier League striker Troy Deeney that he should have left Stamford Bridge when he had the chance.

Axel Disasi and Sterling have not been in the Chelsea squads this season after failing to secure moves away from the Premier League club in the summer transfer window.

When asked about the pair training away from the rest of the team, Maresca told a press conference: “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.”

When asked if the situation is mentally challenging for the duo, the Chelsea boss 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.”

READ: Top Liverpool target ‘dead set’ on Anfield transfer as Chelsea ‘pretty much walk away’

And former Watford striker Deeney is frustrated at Sterling’s situation at Chelsea but insists the player, who was on loan at Arsenal last season, only has himself to blame.

Deeney told talkSPORT: “My only frustration and concern at this whole thing is when we start feeling sorry for players who’ve just had the opportunity to leave. You’ve just had an opportunity to leave. Now he can’t complain.

“When you make those parameters of wanting to stay in London, wanting the pay to be really high and the full package, or at least 75% of it, I think you just go into a position where you can’t now complain that it hasn’t fulfilled itself.

“I don’t think this is going to happen, because Maresca has got off to a good start, but he (Sterling) could go, ‘well I could probably outlast you…I could outlast you,’ and if Maresca goes on an eight-game losing streak and Chelsea chop him, then who knows?”

MORE CHELSEA COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Champions League prize money table calculated with over £100m on offer to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool
👉 Jackson astonished by ‘brilliant’ new Arsenal signing; Gunners to accept January offer for team-mate
👉 Arsenal’s elite finishing, Man Utd just shoot, Spurs’ unsustainable start: one xG nugget per Premier League club

Sterling has been linked to a reunion with former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers at Celtic but Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke thinks it’s a “bizarre link”.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Yeah, it’s a bizarre link, obviously it may come from the past association between Brendan Rodgers and Raheem Sterling when they both worked together at Liverpool.

“Obviously Celtic had their struggles in the transfer market in this summer window not making as many signings as maybe the club’s fans wanted.

“Raheem Sterling is cast into the shadows at Chelsea right now training with the kids and not even part of the first-team squad.

“He did have maybe options to leave in the summer window but he decided not to take them and decided to remain at Chelsea.”

Ahead of Chelsea’s match against Manchester United, Arsenal legend Paul Merson insists some players have not done enough for the Blues this season.

Merson told Sportskeeda: “With Liam Delap out injured, how should Chelsea line-up to get the best out of their attack? I think Joao Pedro up front and Palmer in behind is a given. But who else do they play?

“I don’t think Pedro Neto has done enough for Chelsea, and Jamie Gittens looks a bit lost! They must play Estevao, let him off the leash.

“He has already proved that he can play at this level, and he will enjoy a lot of space in this game. So I’d go Neto, Palmer, and Estevao behind Pedro. But I doubt Maresca will do the same! He may opt to go safe instead.

“What the Chelsea coach must understand is that they have the better squad and can rip Manchester United into shreds if they play their best team.”