Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Sergio dos Santos has backed Lyle Foster's decision to rule himself out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Burnley striker has asked to be excused from the national team, having recently just returned to action after spending a couple months away from football to deal with his mental health.
Dos Santos says he understands the former Orlando Pirates players' decision, as there will be extra pressure on his shoulders.
READ | Broos' biggest decision on Zwane pending
"When a player is going through that kind of depression, it is very, very important for him to be with the medical team that will give him a treatment that is going to make him alright," Santos tells KickOff.
"Now, if we want to know whether it's a genuine case or not, it's very simple, how many games has he missed out on at Burnley? A lot of games.
"But now they can't afford to have him out of the team because they are in a difficult position at the end of the log.
"With his condition, if he goes to the AFCON, the fact of the matter is, it's not the right environment to be in whereby he will be in a confined space all the time.
"I'm sure he would be in a very difficult situation, I'd be very surprised if that was not the case.
"I'm sure he would love to play for Bafana Bafana at the AFCON, but with his condition, he will always need all the specialists Burnley is providing around him.
"This is not a simple case of club versus country. His condition is a mental condition.
"Medical people in England might think that with the treatment that he is receiving, he is now able to maybe play 20 minutes here and half an hour there, whereas in the AFCON Hugo Broos is not going to play him for 20 minutes.
"He will need him to play full games because he is our top, top striker. He is a very important member of the team.
"That alone is going to put Foster under pressure. At this stage is he in a condition to deal with that kind of pressure?
"So obviously at the moment Foster is playing but he is playing under instructions.
"Look I'm very disappointed and very sad for Bafana Bafana that they can't have their main man there, but still I have to look at the condition of the situation and not read anything into it."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!