Gary Rowett has been talking up his striker Saido Berahino, claiming that he's in a better place than last season and can be an asset to the club.

The controversial striker has been in the news on two fronts, both for his goal at the weekend as well as his exploits off the field. His strike against Blackburn ended a 913 day wait for a league goal.

He set up Tom Ince for the second in Stoke's 3-2 defeat, but then fired a crucial penalty, which he won, against the bar. It condemned the Potters to defeat, but Rowett was happy with the striker's impact.

“I think the Saido Berahino of last season would have seen Saturday as a setback, but the Saido Berahino of this season will see it differently,” he told the club's website.

"We were an inch away from all sitting here talking about a really good news story at the weekend, because the general feeling in the summer was that we would do very well to get something from Saido."

He revealed the striker didn't have to just win him over, but also his team mates after enduring a terrible spell since his move from West Brom, but Rowett is happy he's done that.

“The group as a whole are appreciating the work he has done on the training pitches to turn his career here around, and that was an important thing for me in the summer. I told him then that he needed to earn the trust back of his teammates and he has done that.”

The Verdict

With Berahino now entering what should be his prime, he's slowly walking the road to redemption. Long gone are the days the exciting youngster emerged from at the Hawthorns and attracted lots of interest, he's now on the bench in the second tier with a huge point to prove.

More cameo appearances like the weekend will help, as will the trust of his manager.