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Chris Brunt: Berahino's Albion goals are crucial

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Chris Brunt today hailed the growing maturity of West Brom team-mate Saido Berahino and admitted the club would be facing relegation without his goals.

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Brunt praised the attitude of the club's leading scorer, who is due in London tonight to launch his new charity foundation.

And the former Baggies captain admitted it is Berahino's goals that have kept the side clear of the Premier League drop zone.

Brunt said: "He is a young lad who has done really well for himself and for us this season.

"I make no bones about it, if he hadn't scored the goals he has this season we wouldn't be where we are. He's done really well and he's a young guy who's learning.

"He has played a lot of first-team football this season, probably a lot more than anybody expect him to, and he's taken it all in his stride.

"On Saturday at Manchester United he showed a lot of maturity in his performance. It's not always about getting goals, it's about working for the team as well and he did that really well."

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Berahino operated as a lone striker at Old Trafford as the Baggies defended stoutly to claim a 1-0 win.

It was thanks to a Brunt free-kick that flew in off Jonas Olsson and Brunt paid tribute to the 21-year-old's selfless display.

He said: "It is a tough shift and he did well on Saturday and worked his socks off.

"It wasn't really with the ball, because he didn't really get a touch of it in the whole game, but he worked their two centre-halves and also their two central midfielders when he dropped off.

"It's a lonely old shift and he worked ever so hard for the team."

Meanwhile, the Saido Berahino Foundation is being launched tonight at a gala event in the capital.

The foundation will assist Water Aid in raising money to give vulnerable and disadvantaged people better around the world access to clean water and sanitation.

The cause is close to Berahino's heart, after he fled his native Burundi aged 10 to escape the civil war that claimed the life of his father.