Enzo Maresca should have handled the Raheem Sterling situation at Chelsea differently, says Clinton Morrison.
Sterling was told just days ahead of the Blues' Premier League opener that he was out of Maresca's plans, setting in motion a saga that dominated the final days of the summer transfer window.
The ordeal came to an end when Chelsea sent Sterling on a season-long loan to fellow London club Arsenal, but Morrison believes the bad blood between the player and manager will linger for quite some time.
"I don't like how he got treated at Chelsea," Morrison told 10bet. "I know a lot of players are in the same boat as Raheem Sterling as well.
"If you’re Enzo Maresca and you tell Sterling before or during pre-season that I don’t want you, then you give him enough time to find another club and there isn’t going to be a problem. To tell him on the Friday, two days before your first game of the season, I think that’s disrespecting the player. If a manager did that to me, I would lose any respect I had for him."
While Morrison isn't a fan of how Chelsea and Maresca handled the situation, he stressed that he understands that hard decisions sometimes need to be made. However, Morrison believes Sterling and Arsenal have come away from the deal as winners.
"Listen, Enzo Maresca must do what he has to do," Morrison said. "The Chelsea hierarchy do what they have to do, but I think it’s a great move for Sterling. I think he'll do well at Arsenal.
"I think he'll add a lot to Arsenal’s attacking options. Arteta can now add Sterling to the team. He's got [Gabriel] Martinelli and [Leandro] Trossard that can play on the left, but Sterling has the ability to play in any of the attacking positions.
"Arsenal are going to need a deep squad to cope with all the competitions, including the Champions League. Raheem is always at his best when he's playing football, he just wants to go to Arsenal so he can do that and starting enjoying his football again."
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