Daniel Sturridge has leapt to the defence of Raheem Stering after a statement emerged on the back of the forward being left out of Chelsea's squad to play Manchester City.
Sterling was a surprise omission from the 18 that new Blues boss Enzo Maresca selected to take on the champions on opening weekend, with the game finished 2-0 to City.
Maresca both before and after the game defended his call to leave the former England man out on tactical grounds, insisting he had to make the tough decision of which players to exclude from the squad.