Werder Bremen manager Steffen Horst has rubbished claims that Nigerian striker Victor Boniface’s recent struggles are linked to any lack of professionalism, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles forward has struggled for form since joining the club in the summer, leading to several criticisms about his behavior at the club.
The 24-year-old provided an assist on his debut against Borussia Monchengladbach in September, but has only managed one more assist in his next eight games and is yet to open his goalscoring account for the club.
Boniface joined Die Werderaner on a season-long loan deal on summer transfer deadline day from Bayer Leverkusen after a failed move to AC Milan.
The Italian side pulled the plug on a deal for the Nigerian despite initial agreements after he was passed unfit during the medical examinations, with reference to a recurrent knee injury.
The Super Eagles forward was also close to leaving Leverkusen in January, after agreeing personal terms with Al Nassr.
However, the Saudi Premier League club opted against the signature and secured a deal for Colombia’s Jhon Duran instead.
He previously enjoyed a successful stint at Die Werkself, helping them to an unbeaten league title in the 2023-24 season and winning the Bundesliga Rookie of the year award.
Steffen comes to Boniface’s defense
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash in the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen manager Horst Steffen responded to claims about Boniface’s attitude.
“Who comes up with the idea of making such a statement?” Steffen stated.
“There are always plenty of ways not to observe training. Therefore, I don’t know where that comes from, and I don’t want to say anything more about it.
I always see him humorous and funny in the cabin, and then always a bit disappointed when he doesn’t play from the beginning. A normal behavior for a player who would like to be on the court”, he continued.
What next for Werder Bremen?
Werder Bremen are currently ninth on the German Bundesliga standings after 11 rounds of fixtures and will be eyeing an European finish at the end of the campaign.
Die Werderaner have won four, drawn three times and lost four matches and face a clash against 10th-placed FC Koln this weekend.
The game will take place at their home stadium, the Weserstadion, with kickoff expected to be at 3:30 PM.
Boniface, who has come under criticism for his poor performances for the club, will be hoping to end his scoring drought and play an inspiring role to guide them to victory.
The club will also face Hamburger, Stuttgart and Ausburg, before heading into the winter break.
