Nigerian striker Victor Boniface not ready for Werder Bremen’s clash against FC Koln 

Victor Boniface will have to wait a little longer for his comeback at SV Werder Bremen, with the striker still short of the physical level needed to feature against FC Koln.

After a four-month layoff with a knee injury, his workload is currently being increased step by step in team training, but the club believes throwing him straight into competitive action would be premature.

“The timing is too early because he’s not yet in the physical condition,” explained coach Daniel Thioune in his pre-match press conference, effectively ruling Boniface out as an option from the bench for now. The plan remains to build him up carefully so he can return stronger and avoid further setbacks.

Thioune did, however, leave a small door open, noting that if things develop positively over the next couple of days and a squad place becomes available, Boniface could potentially travel with the team. Under normal circumstances, though, Bremen will look to other forwards in the short term, with the coaching staff targeting future, more evenly balanced fixtures as a more realistic stage for the Nigerian to make his long-awaited return.