Gordon Strachan is not a fan of the way Raheem Sterling is handling being frozen out at Chelsea.
Sterling has found himself on the outside looking in at Stamford Bridge this season, with manager Enzo Maresca leaving the 29-year-old out of the squad for the season-opening match over the weekend as well as for Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League playoff against Swiss club Servette.
It's an unfamiliar situation for Sterling, who has been among the highest-profile players at every stop of his career so far, and ahead of Sunday's 2-0 loss to Manchester City the England international's representatives released a statement via the Daily Mail seeking "clarity" from the club.
Strachan, who played 12 seasons in England's top flight and managed several clubs in England and Scotland after his playing days, questioned the wisdom of Sterling's camp releasing the statement amid a tumultuous period for the player and explained why it would never fly during his own playing days.
"There are a lot of clubs that are unsettled at the moment," Strachan told Lord Ping. "I’m looking over at Chelsea, before the match Raheem Sterling’s agents put out a statement. I understand that the player may very well be unhappy that he’s been left out of the first team squad, but what was he expecting would happen off the back of it?
"There’s a lot of PR in football these days. Could you imagine that happening with Sir Alex Ferguson? Excuse me, Sir Alex, Raheem’s people want to know if he’s got a future at the club. His team’s demanding an answer.
"Sterling’s team would have been shown the door. Bring your man in if he wants to speak to me, don’t start playing games in the press and on social media. If he had any guts, this would have been sorted face-to-face and behind closed doors.
"I had a couple of run-ins with Sir Alex, and each time, I thought to myself ‘you’ve probably made the wrong move here, Gordon,’ but at least it gave me the clarity and I knew firsthand what he thought about me and my future at the club."
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