In 2010, England’s kit sponsors Umbro perceived Saido Berahino to be the future of football in this country. As a 17-year-old, he shared the stage for a promotional photo-shoot with Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott and Eric Dier.
As a young hopeful, the 2018 World Cup in Russia would have been a key objective. Yet as England manager Gareth Southgate watched on here, Berahino, still only 24, is barely a footnote to the national discussion.
His turmoil becomes more acute by the week. He has encountered discipline problems, accusations of poor fitness, an eight-week ban for recreational drug use and now the mother of all goal-scoring slumps.