Victor Boniface completed his transfer to Werder Bremen on transfer deadline day, but he hasn’t started a game yet…
Werder Bremen coach Horst Steffen has stated that he has not given Victor Boniface a Bundesliga start, as the Super Eagles striker is not at his best yet, Soccernet.ng reports.
After his proposed transfer to AC Milan fell through during the summer transfer window, Boniface moved to Werder Bremen in a season-long loan, as it was made clear to him that he was no longer needed at Bayer Leverkusen.
Upon his move to Werder Bremen, he was expected to be an instant hit and be the bright spark in the team, because of his impressive antecedents at Bayer Leverkusen and Royale Union SG.
However, reverse has been the case. Boniface has featured in three games so far, but all his appearances have been off the bench.
For a player with his quality, it is quite surprising, especially as he even already did pre-season with Bayer Leverkusen to put him in good shape.
But according to Werder Bremen coach, Horst, Boniface is yet to reach his best level. And this has affected his minutes.
Nonetheless, Horst noted that the 24-year-old forward is slowly getting back to his best, and there might be an improvement soon.
“you can already see that he is getting better and better into his stride,” Horst said, per Kicker.
“He scored a goal against Bayern Munich, but it was unfortunately offside. But he’ll keep on trying.
“It’s clear: We need him and have to get him into the shape to be at his best.”
“In my opinion, he’s just not there yet. Accordingly, we’re continuing to work on it. We’re very happy with it – and he knows it.”
Victor Boniface Might Soon Get A Start
From the way that Werder Bremen coach Horst Steffen talks about Victor Boniface, it is clear that he values the player.
Still, it could be that Boniface’s reduced minutes is due to a clause in his contract that might get triggered if he plays a certain number of minutes.
Nonetheless, there has been a clear progression in the Nigerian’s minutes. In his first game for Werder Bremen, he got 16 minutes. Then in the last two, he got 30 minutes each for the Bundesliga club.
In the coming weeks, Boniface will likely start a game for Werder Bremen.