Why Leverkusen Sent Boniface On Loan
Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has explained that the club’s decision to send Victor Boniface out on loan last summer was primarily to help him regain full fitness after an injury-disrupted second season.
Rolfes stressed that Boniface’s ability has never been in question, pointing instead to the physical toll of elite football and the club’s demanding schedule as the main obstacles to his recovery.
“In his first season he was unbelievable, his performance in his second season was also good,” Rolfes said, according to Brila.
“But in his second season he had problems with injuries and also last summer we spoke and agreed he needed more training to get in best shape again.”
The Leverkusen chief explained that the team’s congested fixture list made it difficult for Boniface to rebuild his condition in-house, with matches every few days limiting meaningful training time.
“If you are playing every three days, it’s difficult because the reality is you are not training anymore with the team,” he said.
“We felt at the end of pre-season that it would be difficult for him to reach his best shape here with our number of games, so we decided together that it was best for him to go on loan to get back to that level.”
Boniface subsequently joined Werder Bremen in search of regular minutes and rhythm, but his spell away proved challenging. A persistent knee issue resurfaced during the loan, eventually requiring surgery.
“While on loan at Werder Bremen, it turned out there were still some problems with his knee. Unfortunately, he had surgery, which went really well,” Rolfes added.
The Nigerian forward underwent the procedure in January after sustaining the injury in training and has since focused on rehabilitation. He returned to training in early April, beginning with individual sessions before gradually reintegrating into team activities, raising hopes of a return before the end of the season.
Despite the setbacks, Boniface has already made a strong impression at Leverkusen since his arrival in 2023. He played a key role in the club’s historic unbeaten league campaign, finishing among their leading scorers and delivering crucial goals in decisive moments.
