Leverkusen boss explains limited playing time for Boniface

After his proposed move to Al Nassr collapsed in the winter, Victor Boniface never really rediscovered his best form in the second half of Bayer Leverkusen’s 2024/25 campaign.

Now, following the coaching change from Xabi Alonso to Erik ten Hag, the Nigerian forward is aiming for a fresh start.

However, he hasn’t featured much for Die Werkself during pre-season, only making brief substitute appearances.

According to sporting managing director Simon Rolfes, there’s a good reason for that.

“‘Boni’ hasn’t played that much simply because of a reaction to the physical load, so we are handling things cautiously,” Rolfes told Bild.

Boniface’s limited minutes are not due to a lack of fitness after his return from vacation. On the contrary, he spent over a week in a private training camp in Spain preparing for the new season, Bild reports.

The German tabloid suggests Boniface may have pushed himself too hard, which caused his body to react.