LONDON - Misfiring Stoke City striker Saido Berahino has found a scapegoat for his season of misery, blaming his family genes for his weight problem.
The controversial Stoke striker has failed to score in 25 Premier League outings but he has told manager Mark Hughes he will cut his summer holidays short to work on his form and fitness.
Hughes said Berahino had lost five kilos since his £12million move from West Brom but the player reckons the total is ‘six or seven’.
"It’s been very easy for me. The way my body is, when I’m playing, I trim down. When I’m not, it puts on weight. I blame my family for the genes they gave me," Berahino said.
The former England under-21 international, who was born in Bujumbura, Burundia and only moved to England at 10 years old, joined Stoke in January this year.
Meanwhile, officials at West Ham and Newcastle believe the HMRC tax investigation involving the two clubs could soon extend to dozens of others and the majority of transfers in English football.