Raheem Sterling’s representatives have come out with a statement after the winger was left out of the Chelsea squad to face Manchester City.
Here are the the comments made by Sterling’s representatives in relation to the 29-year-old missing the Blues’ match day squad.
“Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
“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.”
When asked by Sky Sports to explain his decision to drop Sterling, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says these things just happen in football:
“It happens many times,” Maresca said. “The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don’t like it, that’s normal.
“Just a technical decision, no more than that. We’ll see in the next days.”
