Bayer Leverkusen have explained why Nigerian striker Victor Boniface was sent out on loan last summer, insisting the decision was aimed at helping him regain full fitness.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes said the move was necessary after Boniface struggled with injuries during his second season at the club.
According to Brila, Rolfes stressed that the forward’s quality was never in doubt, but his physical condition needed rebuilding.
“In his first season he was unbelievable, his performance in his second season was also good,” Rolfes said.
“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.”
Rolfes added that Leverkusen’s tight schedule made it difficult for the striker to properly recover while staying with the team.
“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 joined Werder Bremen in search of regular playing time, but his loan spell was disrupted by another injury setback.
“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 surgery in January after sustaining the injury in training and has since been working on his recovery.
He returned to training in early April, starting with individual sessions before gradually rejoining the team, raising hopes of a return before the end of the season.
Despite the challenges, Boniface remains an important player for Leverkusen, having played a key role in their unbeaten league campaign after joining the club in 2023.
