There’s good news and bad news for Werder Bremen and Victor Boniface.
Bundesliga-winning former Bayer Leverkusen striker Boniface arrived at the relegation-threatened side in the summer and there were soon fears Bremen picked up another Naby Keita.
As with the former Bremen midfielder, Boniface’s injury problems went nowhere after signing and having played just 11 games he suffered a knee injury and required surgery.
Reports at the time suggested Boniface’s time at the club was over as he wouldn’t play again this season.
However, he’s now back with seven games to play.
Yet his return hasn’t been met with much delight at the Nigerian has gone viral for a bit of a belly at training.
Bremen coach gives honest Boniface assessment
So newsworthy were the images that new Bremen coach Daniel Thioune had to speak out.
“Of course, we would have liked him to be in better physical condition,” he said before facing Leipzig.
“He also knows that his physical condition might not currently be what it takes for him to play more than a few minutes of competitive football.
“It can’t be denied that he might be carrying a gram or two too much.
“But when a cross comes in from the wing, then 300 grams or three kilograms don’t matter.
“Instead, it’s more about: What’s my attitude towards it? How do I move towards the ball? And what quality do I have in front of goal?
“There’s a chance he could play. Then it could be more of an advantage for us than a disadvantage.”
His belly is unbelievable – Ailton
Boniface later faced more abuse from Bremen Bundesliga-winning striker Ailton.
“His belly is unbelievable. He absolutely has to lose weight,” the Brazilian told BILD.
“In his current form, he can’t be of any help to Werder. I don’t see him scoring any more goals for Werder this season.”
Commenting on himself, he continued: “People said to me ‘Ailton is a bit fat. If he lost weight, he’d be even faster and more dangerous.’
“But that was nonsense. I was still very fast and made good use of my body.
“Boniface is under pressure and needs to work on himself now. But the season isn’t long anymore. I wonder how motivated he is.”
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