Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos faces a tough decision around Lyle Foster, after leading striker Percy Tau was omitted from the 23-man squad to do duty in two AFCON qualifiers.
Broos made a somewhat surprising decision to exclude Tau from the squad that will play against Uganda on Friday and South Sudan next Tuesday, in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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The Belgian explained in the press conference following his squad announcement that he had decided to give the Al Ahly forward a break, for mental reasons, due to the criticism he has received in the national team and at the Egyptian giants.
However, 'The Lion of Judah' said, in an interview on Metro FM, that he did not agree with Broos' reasons for not selecting him for the current squad and that he can handle all the criticism and reports linking him with a move away from his club.
The other side of the argument is that actually, if a top striker had to be excluded from the Bafana squad, it had to be Foster, owing to negotiations between his club Burnley, who were relegated to the Championship, and Premier League newbies Ipswich Town.
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the two clubs are negotiating for the Bafana striker to return to the Premier League with the Tractor Boys, with an initial loan proposal on the table, for a reported £25 million (R584 million) with an obligation to buy at the end of season.
However, Broos may have to tread carefully in how he uses the former KVC Westerlo forward, as any injury he could pick up playing for Bafana could compromise his potential move to Ipswich.
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Ipswich were reportedly initially invested in signing Chelsea forward Armando Broja.
However, the deal fell through after the player failed his medical due to an Achilles heel (that would take a month to heal) that was identified during the assessment.
Reason enough to engage the Clarets for Foster, as per Tribal Football.
Burnley and the ex-Orlando Pirates marksman would be acutely aware that if he is not managed properly on Bafana duty and picks up an injury, a £25 million deal, which is in the advanced stages of negotiations, could also collapse.