Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has sought to clarify that Raheem Sterling’s omission from the squad is for purely tactical reasons, as opposed to personal, considering that during his tenure at Manchester City, Sterling was a very important player. The England international has since been training on his own, awaiting the move.
Maresca stressed that Sterling’s exclusion was purely tactical, describing: “He is not of the type of winger I like. That says nothing about Raheem. The history and the numbers speak for Raheem.”
Sterling has been linked with Manchester United in recent times, a deal which would see Chelsea or Juventus sign Jadon Sancho. However, Maresca was non-committal when it came to his team’s interest in the player and only said, “Jadon is not our player”.
Chelsea is also in the market for a new striker to complement 18-year-old Marc Guiu and current number nine, Nicolas Jackson. But even if a new face is brought in, Maresca made clear Jackson won’t be pushed to the fringes, adding: “He is our nine, our striker in this moment. We are very happy with him.”
With the transfer window just inches away from closing, the future of Sterling remains up in the air as Chelsea and Manchester United could be swapping wingers.
