Enzo Maresca has played down Chelsea's treatment of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, saying his dad had a much tougher life as a fisherman.

Sterling and Disasi are continuing to train away from the senior squad having failed to secure moves away from Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Professional Football Association (PFA) has reached out to Chelsea, as they have done with other clubs who have players in a similar situation, to check they are still being looked after properly.

Chelsea are doing this by providing training sessions for the duo and giving them access to facilities at the training ground, albeit at a different part of the site.

When asked on Friday if he had any concerns about the impact this could be having on the players' mental health, Maresca replied: "My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from 2 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock in the morning. This is hard in life, not a player, the way they work.

"I have been in Raheem and Axel's situation as a player. For sure, I know it is not the best feeling for a player because you want to train, you want to play a game. For different reasons, the situation is the situation. I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way.

"It is not just Chelsea, it's any club in the world. I can promise you Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil. When for any reason the club and player doesn't find a solution, you give the player all the tools to do the training session, everything. If you are not involved in the squad, you are not involved in the squad."

Sterling, who is the club's highest-paid player on more than £300,000 ($405k) a week, has not played a competitive game for the club since Enzo Maresca took charge 15 months ago and spent last season on loan at Arsenal. Disasi spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa after struggling to make an impact under Maresca.

Enzo Maresca on Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi situation: 'My father the fisherman has a hard life, not players'