Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface will start from the bench in their German Bundesliga clash against Union Berlin on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Boniface has been brilliant for Bayer Leverkusen since he joined the club from Belgian side Royale Union SG. He was quite brilliant in the first half of the season, registering 16 goals and nine assists across 24 appearances.
Unfortunately, he suffered an adductor injury at the turn of the year and had to undergo surgery to correct it. That issue kept him out of action for over three months. But he eventually returned to training two weeks ago.
However, he did not feature in Bayer Leverkusen's game against Hoffenheim. But he returned to action in their German Cup win over Fortuna Duesseldorf.
Because of his quality and his impressive start to the season, many would have thought that he would return to the starting eleven this weekend when they play Union Berlin.
However, Boniface may have to wait a while before returning to the starting XI, as ahead of the game at Union, coach Alonso has revealed that the 23-year-old hitman will start from the bench. This is because he wants to slowly re-integrate Boniface so he will have ample time to get back to his best.
“His (Boniface) outing against Düsseldorf was good for him, but he won’t be able to start yet. We want to help him bit by bit to get that good feeling on the pitch again,” Alonso said per GFNB.
After the game against Union Berlin, Die Werkself still have six Bundesliga games left. There is also the Europa League and the German Cup final. In a few weeks, the Nigerian striker should be fully fit and reclaim his starting shirt.
