Victor Boniface: Super Eagles striker “demoted” at Bayer Leverkusen – Report

Former Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag was appointed as Bayer Leverkusen coach a few months ago, but he does not seem to favour Victor Boniface..

Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface might face a short spell on Bayer Leverkusen's bench, as reports from Germany indicate that coach Erik Ten Hag now sees him as the third-choice striker at the club for the meantime, Soccernet.ng reports.

Boniface joined Bayer Leverkusen from Belgian club Royale Union SG two years ago, and he has proven to be a prolific goalscorer.

The 24-year-old striker has contributed 32 goals and 13 assists in 61 appearances for Die Werkself.

When Boniface arrived at Bayer Leverkusen, Czech star Patrik Schick was the first-choice striker at the club, but he was injured. So, coach Alonso chose Boniface to lead the attack.

Boniface was so good that even when Shick returned to action, Alonso kept the faith with him. Unfortunately for the Super Eagles star, he suffered an injury that made him miss a good chunk of that campaign and made him lose his starting shirt.

Last season, Boniface regained his starting shirt at the club. But he was undone by his injury problems, and that cost him his starting shirt at Bayer Leverkusen.

Under new coach Ten Hag this summer, Boniface has not seen a lot of game time in pre-season. Most recently, he was on the bench for their DFB Pokal game against Grossaspach.

Surprisingly, when Ten Hag decided to take off Schick in the game against Grossaspach, he did not call on Boniface.

Rather, it was their new signing Christian Michel Kofane who got the nod. The Cameroonian took the opportunity with both hands, as he scored and assisted another to help Bayer Leverkusen to a resounding 4-0 win.

A solid victory and onto the next round!

90′ | 0-4 | #SGAB04 pic.twitter.com/7Hdpo2OW6N

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) August 15, 2025

Following that performance, German outlet, Bild, reports that Ten Hag now sees Boniface as his third-choice striker after Schick and Kofane.

Should Victor Boniface leave Bayer Leverkusen?

Before Bayer Leverkusen's last game against Grossaspach, Erik Ten Hag was asked about Victor Boniface and revealed that the reason for the Nigerian's reduced game time was his lack of match fitness.

Perhaps, if Boniface returns to full fitness, he can wrestle a starting shirt from Patrik Schick. But if he can't be assured of consistent minutes, he should explore an exit.

Lack of game time would do his career no good at the moment because he is still building his reputation as one of the best marksmen in Europe.

Moreover, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is in December. If he does not play for his club regularly, he won't get selected.