A heartfelt message has been sent to Lyle Foster from his former coach from his Orlando Pirates development days, Mandla Qhogi, who spoke exclusively to the Siya crew, following news of the player's mental health struggles.
Last Thursday, it was revealed by Premier League club Burnley that Foster has been struggling with mental health issues and that he is now taken care of by specialists to help him recover.
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The 23-year-old Bafana Bafana striker has been doing well under Vincent Kompany, having scored three goals and bagged two assists in seven matches in the league.
"There were never any health issues that I have been aware of, and he always seemed fine when he was with us. I would imagine that it's something which started after he went overseas. What I know about Lyle is that he always had the full support of his parents and his sister. They would come to watch him in training and would attend matches to cheer for him," said Qhogi.
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"We started working with Lyle when he was still very young, and we have seen him grow from the age of 13 to 18. He never gave us any problems and he was always confident in his abilities. He is a player who is always giving his best on the field, and he never has off days. I would like to wish him to get well soon. He must take his time to recover, and all the focus should be given to his recovery. To his family, I would like to say it is all in God's hands and he will get better and come back strong. To his club, I'm happy that they allowed him to see a specialist and given him time to recover from whatever that he is going through. I wish Lyle all the best in his recovery so that he can come back strong to do what he does best on the field of play," the coach added.
Other than upcoming fixtures for Burnley in England, Foster will also miss this weeks Fifa World Cup qualifiers where Bafana Bafana take on Benin and Rwanda.
