Gary Neville shares 'alert' theory about Raheem Sterling statement following Chelsea snub

Gary Neville has shared his theory about the statement Raheem Sterling released after he was left out of Chelsea's Premier League opener.

Enzo Maresca suffered defeat in his first Premier League game as Chelsea manager as his side were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Italian coach made several bold decisions in his team selection, including leaving Raheem Sterling out of the matchday squad.

In an unusual move, Sterling's representatives shared a statement with the Daily Mail which said they intend to "gain clarity" on the player's future at the club.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Sky Sports pundit Neville argued that Sterling might have been defending teammates Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, who have found themselves pushed out of Maresca's bloated squad.

"What I would say is, for Raheem, who I think is a really good lad, I love him to bits like Carragher said. I've worked with him for a long time and he's experienced now," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"I think if he's looking at everything that's happening behind the scenes there for him to do what he did yesterday, he must be seeing stuff that he doesn't like and feels like he needs to punch back.

"He might be punching back on behalf of himself, but he may be punching back on behalf of [Conor] Gallagher. He may be punching back on behalf of [Trevoh] Chalobah, who's with the development squad.

"He might be thinking, 'I've got to alert people to what's going on here and the only way I can do that is through my own situation now'.

"Because it is unusual to put a statement now that I wouldn't expect Raheem Sterling to have done that."

Gallagher captained Chelsea for much of last season in the absence of Reece James, but he looks set to join Atletico Madrid in a £36 million move.

The deal appeared to have collapsed when Chelsea failed to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico, but they now look set to sign Joao Felix instead.

Meanwhile, Chalobah was excluded from Chelsea's pre-season tour squad and has been banished from the first-team training ground.