Burnley boss Vincent Kompany responds to Lyle Foster comments from South Africa manager

The comments come in response to South Africa boss Hugo Broos, who recently expressed his frustration at not having Foster available to him for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The 23-year-old was prevented from linking up with his national side for the tournament, citing the need to prioritise his mental health concerns.

The striker missed seven weeks of action earlier in the season, when he took an indefinite break in order to receive specialist treatment.

Foster himself wrote to the South African FA informing them he wasn’t ready to feature at AFCON, a tournament that was held in Ivory Coast.

Doctors also advised Foster that he needed to remain in familiar surroundings, while playing football – the sport he loves – was also key to keeping him happy.

Since then, Foster has regularly featured for Kompany’s side, making eight appearances since his return in mid-December. The striker was, however, missing against Liverpool last weekend with a muscle injury and is now facing a period on the sidelines after undergoing surgery for a “chronic” issue.

Last week, it was reported in South Africa that the country’s FA were to launch an investigation into why Foster was not able to be part of Bafana Bafana's AFCON squad.

Off the back of that, Broos – who is well known to Kompany having handed him his debut at Anderlecht – also expressed his concerns.

When asked if it’s frustrating to read these comments again and again, Kompany said: “It’s not frustrating, it’s expected. But I will explain it again very calmly.

“Physical fitness and mental fitness are two very different things. You can be physically fit but you can also mentally be in a position where it’s not a possibility for you to go away to a tournament for a month, if you’re not in the right headspace or you don’t have the capacity to deal with that.

“We’ve been very open about it. You come out of the rehab clinic, you’re dealing with a problem that is beyond football. It’s life.

“We were just part of his rehabilitation plan. It’s his environment, he comes in through the doors, he’s with people of his age, friends as well, not just colleagues. He doesn’t have friends outside the club, he’s come from abroad. His social support system is the club.

“The timing of him returning to play or not, it’s absolutely not our decision. It’s seeing what happens and seeing if he feels ready to do it.

“The first thing we did was remove him completely out of first-team football. We got care for him.

“We took a hit for it. It doesn’t matter if we took a hit in a period where we could have used him. If he had said he needed another month, another two months, another three months, we would have gone along with that.

“But we are part of his rehabilitation, we’re his support system. I can explain it again and again and again and I will do so by the way, because I expect this question to come again.

“I believe we sent documentation but we have documentation available for anybody that has the authority to look into it. We can share that, it’s not a problem. Everything is documented.

“We went to great lengths to try and explain the situation to all governing bodies. FIFA, Premier League, FIFPro, PFA, South African FA, the manager, we tried to explain.

“But I expect I will have to explain again, so I will explain again. In a couple of months I will do it again and again until people understand.”

When asked if he’s spoken to Broos since the tournament ended, Kompany added: “No, but I get it. I have explained it three or four times, but it’s fine. I expect that I will have to explain it again.

“People have a different way to look at these things in various parts of the world. That’s the reality of it and I respect that as well. I really respect that.

“But if your starting position is the care of the player, then you find the right answers. That’s the only thing we did.”