Mark Hughes: 'Saido Berahino not ready to start for Stoke City'

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has said that striker Saido Berahino is still short of match fitness ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

After a lengthy absence at previous club West Bromwich Albion, Berahino has made two substitute appearances since moving to the Potteries, but Hughes has suggested that will not be enough for the attacker to be promoted to the starting lineup.

The 53-year-old told reporters: "He's still not where we know he can be, and he'd admit that himself, but we're getting him game time and that's important. He's not unfit, he's just not match fit so the only way he's going to get match fit is by getting game time, so that's what we're going to try and put into it.

"We're probably not at the point where he's likely to start as yet but we've got a two-week break after this game, so we're looking towards the Spurs game that we have, and he's more likely to start from that point onwards."

The last time Berahino completed a match came in August when West Brom lost at Northampton in the EFL Cup.