Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is of the view that Gary Cahill received unfair treatment at the hands of Maurizio Sarri last season at Stamford Bridge.
The 33-year-old centre-back has impressed many with his solid performances at the back for Crystal Palace, who are currently ninth in the Premier League table.
The defender is enjoying a second lease of life in English football under Roy Hodgson after playing little to no football in his last season at Chelsea.
Sarri phased the veteran centre-back out of his plans and he played just 562 minutes of football across eight appearances in all competitions in the 2018/19 campaign.
Schwarzer admits that he was surprised at the way Cahill was treated by Sarri and Chelsea last season and thinks that it was unfair on a player who played a pivotal role in the club winning two league titles and a Champions League.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper told The Athletic: “I was surprised in the manner in which he was phased out.
“Managers have different opinions of players, I would be feeling upset, just the way it was done.
“That’s the hardest thing to take as a player.
“You’ve given so much service but a manager can come in and get rid of you with very little explanation as to why, and you can feel the treatment can be unfair.”
Cahill made 290 appearances during his seven-and-a-half years stay at Chelsea.
