Head coach Hugo Broos has explained his decision to re-call Burnley striker Lyle Foster to Bafana Bafana for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The 23-year-old last appeared in national team colours in October 2023 and has been out of action due to a battle around mental wellness.
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Foster requested to not be included in the Bafana Bafana squad that went to AFCON in January and returned with a bronze medal.
However, the marksman returns to the squad for World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe to be played in June.
Speaking on SABC Sport during the announcement of the final squad, Broos explained why he had decided to re-call the Burnley man.
"His health problem is solved, that was the problem," the Belgian revealed.
"I know I was also myself very angry at a certain moment because from England, we got the news that Lyle Foster was not ready, Lyle had a mental problem and so on and so on…
Kudos to Lyle Foster for scoring his 5th Premier League goal of the Season for Burnley.His first goal of 2024...five goals and three assists in the EPL now ????pic.twitter.com/rMryWC9Njs
— Prince Sobayeni Sports???? (@PrinceSobayeni1) April 21, 2024
"Then suddenly, he starts playing with the team Burnley. So, we had contact again with England (Burnley) and they said that ja, he is not ready.
"And also, Lyle wrote us a letter that he didn't want to go with us to AFCON because he was not ready. That's the reason why Lyle was not with us in Ivory Coast.
"So, after that, for March, I made again contact, and again they told me, 'No', it's better that you don't call him for the moment because he is not 100%, still not really 100%', and that's why he was not with us in March.
"But he still played [for Burnley], he always played, every game for Burnley.
ALSO READ | Final Bafana squad announced, Lyle Foster back
"So, it was not easy to accept that. But okay, I followed, let's say the medical reasons why I couldn't take him, but now everything was okay.
"I phoned him, I called him and we had a good chat. I called Vincent Kompany, we had a good chat, so there are no problems anymore. And that's the reason why Lyle is now again with us."
Bafana take on Nigeria on 7 June in Uya, Nigeria, before returning home to host Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on 11 June.
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