Berahino felt like Zidane – Fletcher

West Brom forward Saido Berahino compared his derby winner to Zinedine Zidane, captain Darren Fletcher cheekily revealed.

Berahino was embroiled in a transfer saga as he pushed for a move away from The Hawthorns but the England Under 21 international went from villain to hero, with his skilful first-half goal sealing a 1-0 win over butter Premier League rivals Aston Villa on Saturday.

The 22-year-old, who held clear-the-air talks with manager Tony Pulis and his team-mates, popped up inside the penalty area and deflected James Morrison’s drive past Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan six minutes before the interval.

Berahino did not play down his exploits following the match, with Fletcher revealing: “He did divert it for the goal. His words were it’s a ‘Zidane touch’ and ‘It was like Zidane’, he felt that he meant it – you can tell he doesn’t lack confidence.

“I thought he was fantastic and he’s a great player and we want him to be a great player for West Bromwich Albion, while he’s here.

“It’s great he has ambition. I love that he has that and wants to play at the highest level. I think he’ll score goals for England in the future and that’s how highly I rate him.”

Fletcher added: “He’s well liked in the dressing room and we wanted to make that perfectly clear.

“That wasn’t forced, that was natural reactions because of how highly we think of him.”