Victor Boniface has been sidelined due to a thigh injury since the November international breakCzech forward Patrick Schick has played in his absence and may have booked the spot with his goalsHead coach Xabi Alonso has issued a challenge to Boniface to fight and regain his position next year
Victor Boniface will not have it easy to regain his starting spot at Bayer Leverkusen after Patrick Schick nailed it with his impressive performances for the German champions.
Boniface has been sidelined with a thigh injury sustained during Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Rwanda on the final match day of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Patrick Schick replaced Victor Boniface during a UEFA Champions League match. Photo by Marco Steinbrenner.
Source: Getty Images
Patrick Schick has stepped up in the Nigerian’s absence and put up impressive performances. As noted by Transfermarkt, he has eight goals in four games since Boniface’s injury, including four goals against Freiburg.
Alonso challenges Victor Boniface
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Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso has shared his thoughts on the renewed competition for the number nine position between Schick and Boniface.
“I have difficulty in choosing players to use in all the positions, I like to have it. What we want is that everyone is fighting for a position to get better and help the team. We’ll have so many games, all the players will have their moments,” Alonso told Oma Akatugba.
“But the most important is that the same way that Patrik Schick is in good form, we want to have Boniface in good form as well. We want him fully fit so that he forgets his injuries, he is working hard, on the pitch, and scoring goals.”
“Ultimately, Boniface and Schick decide who plays because the one that deserves and proves himself usually gets the chance,” he added.
The champions are second on the Bundesliga table going into the mid-season break, four points behind Bayern Munich, which they eliminated in the DFB Pokal.
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Alonso slams Super Eagles
Henzodaily.ng reported that Alonso slammed the Super Eagles coach for playing an injured player in a needless match after Boniface aggravated his thigh injury on international duty.
The former Liverpool midfielder described the decision by Augustine Eguavoen to play the striker in the 2-1 loss against Rwanda as a shameful act.
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Source: Henzodaily.ng