Lyle Foster’s Burnley FC clinched automatic promotion after Friday night’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
The runaway English Championship leaders, who dropped out of the top-flight last term, have flourished under the tutelage of Vincent Kompany.
After Luton Town dropped points against Millwall earlier in the afternoon, Burnley knew that a win at third-placed Middlesbrough would be enough to confirm a topflight return mathematically.
LYLE FOSTER OUT
With Lyle Foster out of the team, Burnley made no mistake with an impressive performance at the Riverside Stadium against a Boro side who have been reinvigorated by former United first-team coach Michael Carrick.
Nobody has clinched promotion with seven games to spare since the Championship rebranded
The development means the Bafana Bafana will test his mettle against the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Virgil Van Dijk, Ruben Dias and Thiago Silva next season.
Lyle Foster joined the Clarets in January on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Belgian side KVC Westelo.
The 22-year-old has played eight games this season and has scored one goal. Kompany has faith in him and believes the South African will excel in English football.
BURNLEY TO BEEF UP
The Manchester City legend recently told Foster that he had to “blend his way in”.
With Premier League football certain next season, Burnley will likely go into the market to beef up their squad.
It would mean competition for places will be stiffer for Foster, who recently increased his Bafana tally to three.
Should Foster stay on at Burnley, he will join the likes of Benni McCarthy, Quinton Fortune, Lucas Radebe and Steven Pienaar as a few Bafana players that got to play in the Premier League.
Foster will spearhead Bafana’s campaign at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, having played a massive part in the qualifying campaign.
His two goals against Liberia at Orlando Stadium secured a point for the South African national team. However, he sat it out in Monrovia due to illness as Bafana booked a place in next January’s AFCON.