Raheem Sterling posts update amid Chelsea exile and brutal Enzo Maresca verdict

Raheem Sterling has shared an update on social media as his exile from the Chelsea squad continues.

The 30-year-old has not played a competitive game since returning to Stamford Bridge this summer following a season-long loan at Arsenal. His last appearance came in May, helping the Gunners to a 2-1 win over Southampton.

Sterling failed to secure a move away from Chelsea before the summer transfer window closed and remains sidelined, with Enzo Maresca unmoved in his stance not to include the winger in his plans.

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With no matches on the horizon, Sterling has been keeping busy away from first-team football. He shared a video on Instagram of himself coaching youngsters on shooting drills, captioned: "Repetitions on Left Foot Finishing. Every Detail Matters.”

The session was part of his RS7 Academy, an initiative founded by Sterling in August to "give young players support, structure and belief."

Maresca may appreciate the commitment Sterling is showing off the pitch, having previously compared his situation to his father's long hours as a fisherman.

In September, Maresca was asked about the difficult situation faced by the players not included in the first-team squad after being unable to find moves elsewhere. He responded: "My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from two o'clock in the morning to 10 o'clock in the morning."

He added: "This is sad in life – not a player and the way that they work. I've been in Raheem's situation and Axel's [Disasi] situation as a player and for sure I know that it's not the best feeling for a player because you want to train and play and then, for a different reason, the situation is the situation.

"I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and this is the only thing I can say.

"It's not just Chelsea, it's any club in the world, I can promise you. Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil, any club in the world … when, for any reason, the player and the club doesn’t find any solution and you give the player all the tools to do training sessions and do everything.

"But if you are not involved in the squad, you are not involved in the squad."

Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2022 for £47.5 million, scoring 19 goals and providing 12 assists across his first two seasons.

However, Maresca made his position clear upon taking charge in June last year, revealing: "I spoke with Raheem... I said that he is going to struggle to get minutes with us."

The winger reportedly rejected summer loan offers from Bayern Munich, Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen, leaving him to wait until the January transfer window for a potential move away from west London.