Alan Shearer has lambasted Chelsea for their 'very disrespectful' treatment of Raheem Sterling in the wake of them suddenly freezing him out.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told Sterling just two days before the season began that he should weigh up his options for a move.
On Sunday he was left to fester in the reserves as Chelsea fell to a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City and he has been training with a group of 13 outcasts away from the first team.
Shearer sees it as a cautionary tale for future arrivals at Stamford Bridge.
'I’m not a big fan of what’s happened to Raheem Sterling, I think it’s very disrespectful,' he told Betfair.
'He may not have had a great season last season, which is fine, but there’s still a way to treat people and understand players’ needs. There’s a way to sell players.
'It’s just bizarre what’s going on at Chelsea. You see the Conor Gallagher situation when he left on the plane to go to Atletico on the proviso someone else was coming over, they tried to sign the Samu Omorodion, but then that deal was off, and Gallagher then had to come back to Chelsea.
'Suddenly, they don’t want a centre-forward, and they think, "okay, we’ll go back and see if we can do a deal with Joao Felix", and Gallagher had to hang around until that deal was done before he could head back to Atletico.
'In the meantime, Chelsea tell Raheem Sterling that he’s no longer wanted and he has to find himself a football club, which is fine, that’s the way it goes in football sometimes - a coach comes in and doesn’t fancy you, that happens.
'But, telling someone two days before the season starts they are not going to be involved, and giving someone just over a week to find a football club, it’s very, very disrespectful. It’s not the right way to treat a professional.
'That’s the way it is at Chelsea now though, the players must accept that, and the coach must accept that, because that’s what he’s taken on. Anyone that goes into that football club knows how it’s being run.
'It’s not very nice at all, but that’s the way it is. You’ve just got to try and accept it because you know going into it, that is what you are facing.'
Mail Sport exclusively revealed via a statement from Sterling's camp on Sunday that he is 'seeking clarity' over his future.
Maresca added that clarity on Wednesday in a stern press conference, insisting that Sterling should leave if he wants game time.
'They (Sterling and Chilwell) are training apart. We have a big squad and it is impossible to give them all minutes,' he said.
'If they are looking for minutes, then it is better if they leave. If they do not leave, then they have a contract here and they are Chelsea players.’
Mail Sport has reported that Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are among the possible exit routes for the 29-year-old, who has 82 England caps. Juventus have also enquired.
Sources have not yet revealed Chelsea's valuation for Sterling, who cost £50m when signed in 2022 and is contracted until 2027 on a deal believed to be worth around £325,000 per week.
Maresca has been accused of being callous but he countered: ‘Brutal? I don't think so. I try to be honest. I can repeat again if it's not clear: I spoke with Raheem before the (Manchester) City game. I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us.
'With Chilly, I said he is a lovely guy, but he is going to struggle because of his position. If you define this as “brutal”, it is up to you to decide. For me, it's not brutal, it's just honest. I'm not saying Raheem is not a good player but I prefer different kinds of wingers. This is the reason why.'
Sterling is contracted until 2027 and quizzed on these long deals posing him problems, Maresca said: ‘This is not my problem. I am here to make decisions and decide what the best is for the team. I am not here to talk about how many years contract. It's not my job.
‘If it's a six-year contract, or a 20-year contract, I don't care. I'm just here to make the right decisions for the team. About the contract situation, it's not my job.
‘You like to say we have 42 or 43 players. Today's session is with 20 players. Yesterday's session was with 21. But the other 15 or 20, they are training apart. Chelsea players, yes, 42 or 43, sure, but they are not working with me every day. I don't see them so it's not a mess like it looks from outside. Absolutely not.’
