Burnley striker Lyle Foster is “making progress” but is “not in a position” to join South Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations, says manager Vincent Kompany.
Foster, 23, was named in a preliminary 50-man squad for the tournament, which begins in the Ivory Coast next month. He has been on a leave of absence since 9 November because of the recurrence of a mental health issue.
The club announced last month that Foster had reached out to the club for support and he has since been in the care of specialists.
“Physically he is in a good place and it seems like we have made progress,” Kompany told BBC Sport.
Foster has earned 14 caps for his country, scoring four goals, with three of those goals coming this year.
Asked if he was surprised at Foster’s inclusion in the South Africa squad by manager Hugo Broos, Kompany said: “Unfortunately at the moment he is not in a position where he can go to the national team. He just can’t. It is not something he can do at the moment, going away for a long time and being in a very different environment.”
“His love for his country has no limits and his desire to do well has no limits, but that would be going against the advice of every expert that has been assisting him in recent months.’
“Conversations are ongoing but it is difficult for him to manage and for me because I am a coach of African origin. Afcon is very important. I feel very proud of any of our players representing us there because that tournament deserves the same importance as the Euros.”
“For his conditions specifically, the human being that we have treated in the past month, he is not at a stage where he can do any of that. Hopefully in the future he can do much more for everybody on the big stage, but step by step.”
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