The Africa Cup of Nations is a dream event for most footballers at Bafana Bafana but for those at the highest club level like Lyle Foster, it presents another challenge.
Foster, at only 23, is living his dream of playing in the Premier League and has seemingly become one of the first choice strikers in the line-up for Burnley, as he has played in all their games so far.
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With the AFCON set to take place between January and February next year, there are concerns that Foster could lose his place in the line-up at the Clarets, as the Premier League will continue as normal during Africa's biennial national team tournament.
Foster, who scored the only goal in Bafana's narrow victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in an international friendly on Tuesday, has admitted that the thoughts of possibly losing his place in Burnley's line-up do cross his mind but he would rather focus on what he can control and hopes by the time AFCON starts, he would have played enough games for the Clarets.
"Of course those thoughts run in your mind but at the same time I can't control those sorts of things you know," Foster said on SABC News.
"I can only be where I'm supposed to be, where I'm needed to be, I trust that everything will take care of itself. So I don't want to stress myself about that and think too far into the future.
"We still got games, we still got a good three, four months before the AFCON, so there's enough time for me to play in the Premier League," he added.
The AFCON, traditionally played between January and February, was switched to June and July in 2019 to accommodate the European calendar, where most players ply their trade.
However, the continental showpiece reverted back to January and February in Cameroon two years later due to weather conditions.
The next edition, in Ivory Coast, was supposed to take place this year in June and July but was postponed to January and February 2024 to avoid a rainy season.
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