Raheem Sterling posts late solo training as Enzo Maresca says outcasts have no route back into Chelsea first team

Raheem Sterling has offered a public glimpse of his peripheral role at Chelsea after posting a late-night image of a solitary training session at the club's Cobham training base.

The 30-year-old posted a photograph showing empty training pitches with the time reading 20:21, accompanied by images of his Chelsea training kit and Puma boots. The post came after manager Enzo Maresca told reporters this month that several players who failed to secure moves in the summer transfer window were being kept apart from the first-team group and that there was no pathway back for them under his management.

Maesrca has repeatedly said the club's outcasts remain under contract and are training on different pitches and at different times. "They are Chelsea players because they have a contract with the club," Maresca said. "In this moment, they are still training apart. The idea is to continue in exactly the same way. Since we started the season, I didn't see one of them. I didn't see Renato, I didn't see Axel, I didn't see Raheem. I haven't seen them since we started the season." When asked whether there was any way back into the first team, Maresca replied: "With us? No."

Sterling is one of a small group of high-profile players who were unable to secure permanent or loan moves before the transfer deadline. Reports during the close season linked Bayern Munich with an enquiry for Sterling and suggested Napoli had an interest, but those approaches did not produce a transfer. Media reports also stated that Sterling was reluctant to move to the Saudi Pro League and that his weekly salary, reported at £325,000, was a deterrent for some potential suitors.

Chelsea's summer dealings included late activity involving teammate Nicolas Jackson, who completed an 11th-hour move to Bayern Munich on loan after an injury to another signing. The club has said the outcast players remain on the payroll and are to continue training separately until further notice.

Sterling’s Instagram post is the latest public sign of a strained relationship between the club and some established members of the squad. The players involved have not featured in first-team training under Maresca this season and the manager has been consistent in his stance that those training separately will not be reintegrated into his squad while he is in charge.

The situation leaves Chelsea with a group of senior professionals contracted to the club but not available for selection, a circumstance that has potential implications for squad depth as the season progresses and injuries emerge. The club has not announced any change to the status of the players Maresca described as training apart.