Berahino represented England at every level from under-16 to under-21 and even featured in a senior England squad. West Brom boss Tony Pulis could be forgiven for mistakenly comparing the Burundi-born forward to the likes of Harry Kane or Jamie Vardy in his one and only 20-goal season.
Ironically, Berahino desperately attempted to force through a move to Tottenham in 2015, before finally joining Stoke last January for £12 million. Spurs will feel like they dodged a bullet, with the striker yet to score after 2,159 minutes.
Since he last found the net, England regulars Vardy and Kane have scored a total 104 goals. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old has one top-flight assist and a missed penalty to his name and is yet to score since he did so for the Baggies in a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on February 27, 2016.
"After a frustrating period he’s now desperately keen to reignite his career and we look forward to seeing him do that with us," said Stoke’s chief executive Tony Scholes when Berahino joined the club. Fast-forward 10 months and he is yet to score as he collects his weekly £70,000 wages.
At 24, he is by no means a striker beyond hope and he has overcome worse traumas having left his native Burundi at the age of 10. However, after 2,159 minutes without finding the net, it would be a real surprise to see him fulfil the unrealistic expectations English football had two years ago. Maybe the bar was set too high.