Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster says he want to emulate the legendary South African figures who starred in the Premier League before him.
Foster, 22, completed a South African record transfer from KVC Westerlo to Burnley in the January window in a deal that could exceed €11-million (R130m) should they win promotion this season.
And it appears inevitable as they lead second-placed Sheffield United by 13 points with nine games remaining in the second tier with a 17-game unbeaten run in the league.
“I think everyone comes into training with it in mind that we working to get into the Premier League, and there are some guys in the team who have been there and played, six, seven years in the Premier League and they tell you stories about how great it is,” Foster said.
“Ashley Barnes for instance told me how great it feels to score in the Premier League and it’s something I want to feel, I think every kid growing up who loves football wants to play in the Premier League, so for me, I’m looking forward to it but we still have a job to do in the Championship and hopefully we can finish it off.”
With Benni McCarthy, Shaun Bartlett among the strikers to have made a name for themselves in England and the recent honouring of Lucas Radebe at Leeds United, Foster admits he has a benchmark to be inspired by.
“I want to create some sort of legacy, I want to leave something behind and I think that only works if you work hard and if you committed and I think that is what Lucas was over the years,” Foster said about the South African icon.
“Even people like Benni spoken of very highly about in the UK, Steven Pienaar, Quinton Fortune, Aaron Mokoena, so these guys have set the bar for players like us who come and follow them.
“They expect a lot of South African players because they know we do have quality and the previous players have shown it.”
Foster scored his first goal in England this month in a 3-0 win over Wigan Atheltic in the EFL Championship.
