Bafana Bafana and Burnley striker Lyle Foster is taking a break from football to deal with his mental health, as announced by his club.

The 23-year-old joined the Clarets from Belgian club Westerlo in January of 2023 and has scored three goals and grabbed three assists in eight appearances across all competitions.

Foster, who is 23 years old, first told the club in July that he was depressed, and he has now asked them again for help.

Vincent Kompany, the manager of the Clarets, said that no date has been set for Foster’s return to the team.

Burnley said: “Recently, Lyle let us know that he continues to live with issues around his mental wellbeing and has reached out for help.”

The club statement was released “on behalf of Lyle Foster and his family” to “share with you an update on Lyle’s illness”.

It added: “He is currently in the care of specialists – giving him the support and care he needs to help him back to full health.

“With the love and support of his family and everyone at Burnley Football Club, we will do all we can to provide everything he needs to get better.”

People were told to “respect Lyle’s privacy” and that they would not say anything else until further notice.

Foster, a striker, has played eight league and cup games for Kompany’s team this season, starting all eight. He has scored three goals and set up two others. His most recent game was a 3-0 loss at Brentford on October 21.

He has also played four times for his country this season.

Foster talked about his time at Belgian team Westerlo in an interview with South African radio station MSW earlier this year. He played there from August 2021-1923.

“I was in my apartment all by myself. I realised I just felt this huge sense of loneliness,” he said.

“I felt like I couldn’t really express myself with all of my teammates. It was a lot more difficult to be around them and do things footballers are supposed to do.

“I just used to try and go to training, play games and honestly the best thing to do at that time of my life was to go back home and sleep. There was no real excitement or looking forward to anything.

“That’s when I realised I was in some trouble and I panicked a little bit. I didn’t know what was going on or how to deal with it because it was the first time I was in a position like that.”