Will Lyle Foster go down with the ship or remain in EPL?
Will Lyle Foster go down with the ship or remain in EPL?
Bafana Bafana star Lyle Foster might have a decision to make this offseason with his English Premier League(EPL) team getting relegated.
The 23-year-old former Orlando Pirates man impressed in his debut EPL season for the Clarets. He scored five goals and provided three assists in 23 matches. The striker had to miss seven weeks of premier league action due to mental issues.
In December, Lyle Foster upset a lot of South African football fans when he chose not to play in the Africa Cup of Nations. The continental showpiece took place in Ivory Coast between January and February. The striker withdrew from the squad but played for Burnley before injury in January.
This past week, Burnely coach Vincent Kompany spoke about Lyle Foster’s situation.
“I think Lyle did something very powerful by actually speaking up about it himself, and allowing us to speak about it,” Kompany told Premier League Inside Matters.
Lyle Foster might fight to stay in the EPL
“How he processed his situation was very, very mature for a young individual in the end. I think we’ve all learned through experiencing this with him you know.
“The difficulty with football is that so often it’s the problem and as well it’s the solution, so these players will be confronted with different states of mind because of the pressure of the job, because of the pressure of being a footballer and what it means,” said the former Manchester City captain.
Foster’s coach Kompany impressed with the Bafana star
Lyle Foster has impressed during his debut Premier League season. Without his issues and having had to be away from the team, he might have even scored 10+ goals. Kompany said the pressure does get to players sometimes and it’s all about clubs supporting them.
“Sometimes it’s not even towards the fans, it could be family, it could be your country, it could be your background, it could be your social media.
“So the stress of the hob and the demand of the performances as well, competition. But at the same time, it’s what they love doing, to create this environment where these players actually see football as their happy place, the solution, and take them away from what they see as a dark place. it’s been for me a learning curve for me this year,” he said.
“Lyle has been massive in helping us to understand how to best support players that are facing the situation.”
Lyle Foster has improved as a footballer since moving to Burnely a few seasons ago. A move back to the Championship might be a step backwards for the Bafana Bafana star. Teams like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace and Everton might suit Foster better.