Burnley striker Lyle Foster left out of South Africa squad for upcoming qualifier

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a preliminary 34-man squad for the game against Morocco on June 17.

But Foster, who has scored three goals in 10 appearances for his country, is a surprise omission.

According to reports in South Africa, the 22-year-old has been left out following a mutual agreement between Broos and Clarets chief Vincent Kompany.

The game against Morocco is a dead rubber given both sides have already qualified for next year’s tournament, which is being staged in January and February 2024.

Broos is well known to his Belgian compatriot Kompany given he handed the former Manchester City man his professional debut at Anderlecht as a 17-year-old.

According to the report in TimesLIVE, Kompany wants to start Burnley’s pre-season earlier to prepare for their return to the Premier League and he’s keen for Foster to be involved.

The Clarets signed the striker for an undisclosed fee from Belgian side KVC Westerlo during the January transfer window – Foster agreeing a four-and-a-half-year deal at the time.

He’s since played 11 league matches, seven as a substitute, and scored once, his first goal for the club coming in the 3-0 victory against Wigan Athletic in March.

Foster has previously played in South Africa for Orlando Pirates, France with Monaco, Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes and Belgium with Cercle Bruges and Westerlo.

He faces competition in the striking department from Jay Rodriguez and Michael Obafemi, although Kompany is likely to strengthen further in that area of the pitch.