Saido: I made mistakes, but no one knows truth
Striker Berahino says move to Stoke has given him a fresh start
SAIDO Berahino has spoken about the turbulent aftermath of his drugs ban at West Bromwich Albion and claimed “no one knows the full story”.
Berahino was suspended for eight weeks while a Baggies player after testing positive for a recreational drug in an out-of-competition screening.
Albion maintained the striker had not been picked in the months before his £15 million move to Stoke City in January because of a problem with his fitness.
But the truth behind his absence emerged just two days before he returned to The Hawthorns with Stoke at the start of February.
Berahino said: “I’m naive at times and it’s easy to pick on someone’s wrongs.
“No one really looks on what people do that’s great.
“Nowadays people are interested in the wrong stuff and the bad press.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be stronger than that and put your hand up and say you’ve made a mistake.
“You just can’t say anything and no one knows the full story apart from the FA and the club. It’s hard as a person. You’re accused of all these things in the headlines and no one really knows the truth and no one was ever there to know what happened.
“I take it on the chin. I accept I put myself in that position and you have to pay for your actions.”
Berahino was jeered by West Brom fans when he took to the pitch as a substitute in Stoke’s 1-0 defeat to the Baggies. He is yet to start a match for the Potters, but hopes he will soon make his mark. “It’s done now and I’m just looking to put that all behind me and create good memories here,” the 23-year-old said. “I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since I’ve come to Stoke. It’s good for me, it’s a fresh start and I’m enjoying every moment of it. I’m still young and still learning a lot in the game. “I’ve let myself down a lot and it’s time I put it right and prove to myself that I can be the player I was showing good signs of in 2013/14.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Manchester United’s home game against West Brom next month after he accepted an FA charge of violent conduct. The Swede will miss United’s FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea on Monday and Premier League clashes with Middlesbrough (March 19) and Albion (April 1).