Boniface injury worsens after Chelle’s AFCON omission

Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has suffered another setback after being ruled out of Werder Bremen’s Bundesliga clash against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.

The development compounds a difficult period for the 24-year-old, who was omitted from Eric Chelle’s final 28-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following his earlier exclusion from the provisional list.

Boniface’s absence for the weekend fixture has now been officially confirmed by the club, dealing a further blow to his season.

Knee injury rules him out

Werder Bremen head coach Horst Steffen disclosed that Boniface is nursing a knee contusion sustained during a knee-to-knee collision in training.

“It happened in a challenge, knee to knee, and it really hurt,” Steffen said. “Unfortunately, the recovery hasn’t been as quick as we hoped. I can’t yet say whether he’ll be available again this year.”

Injury history raises concerns

Boniface’s career has been repeatedly disrupted by fitness issues, including two anterior cruciate ligament injuries earlier in his professional journey.

That history contributed to the collapse of a proposed move to AC Milan last summer.

Even during his productive spell at Bayer Leverkusen, injuries regularly halted his progress, a factor that influenced the club’s decision to part ways.

Werder Bremen face Augsburg next in their final match before the Christmas break, with Boniface racing against time to return to action.