Augusto Palacios Backs Burnley’s Lyle Foster to Shine for Bafana Bafana Despite Recent Struggles

• Augusto Palacios believes that there are big things to come from Lyle Foster now that he is back with Bafana Bafana
• The Burnley star was unavailable for national duty selection for three months as he dealt with mental health struggles
• Palacios mentored the striker before he made it big overseas, and continues to keep a close eye on his footballing career

Bafana Bafana need all hands on deck if they are to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

The South African national team are currently sitting fourth in their CAF qualifying table, picking up one win, one draw and one loss from their three games.

Bafana have only scored three goals in their three fixtures, but with Lyle Foster back in the squad, there are hopes that the Burnley striker can find the back of the net with ease.

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One man particularly happy with Foster’s inclusion is his former academy coach, Augusto Palacios.

As noted by Soccer Laduma, Palacios expressed confidence in Foster’s form and his mental preparedness for the games ahead.

“If you look at how he has been performing since January, you can say this is the right time for Lyle to come back to the national team.

“He has grown as a player both mentally and physically. He has shown that he is focused on his work as a player and as a striker,” he said.

Foster made headlines last year when he was unavailable to play for Bafana due to mental health issues.

Palacios and Foster’s relationship

Palacios has always been a keen following of the striker’s career, giving that he mentored him before.

The 72-year-old worked together with the Burnley frontman at the Augusto Palacios Apprentice Academy before taking him to Pirates.

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It was at the Sea Robbers that he got his first break before moving abroad and eventually signing for Burnley ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Palacios still keeps an eye on Foster’s career at club level and recently weighed in on whether he needs to leave Burnley. The South African striker recently signed a lengthy contract with the Clarets.

As noted by FAR Post, Palacios explained that it was the player’s decision at the end of the day whether he wanted to move.

Foster was brought in by previous coach Vincent Kompany, and questions have been raised about whether he would leave the side now that Kompany coaches Bayern Munich.

Mosimane defends Foster and Tau

Sports Brief previously reported how Pitso Mosimane defended the likes of Percy Tau and Foster.

The former Abha coach defended the duo after they were criticised over their performances for Bafana.

Mosimane, who coached Tau at Al Ahly, noted how many other prominent players were also criticised.