By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Werder Bremen head coach Horst Steffen has moved to allay concerns over Victor Boniface’s fitness after the Nigerian forward missed Thursday morning’s training session ahead of this weekend’s Bundesliga clash with FC St. Pauli.
Boniface was held out of the session as part of a pre-planned workload management routine, prompting initial speculation about a possible injury setback.
However, Steffen clarified during the club’s press conference that the decision was purely precautionary.
“We have to build Victor up carefully, and today it was better for him that he stayed in,” Steffen said.
“I expect he’ll be able to train again tomorrow and be part of the squad. We have to keep an eye on him for obvious reasons.”
Boniface has been a key figure for Bremen since arriving in the summer, and the club is keen to manage his recovery and conditioning following a demanding start to the season.
The 22-year-old is now expected to rejoin full training on Friday, with Steffen hopeful he will be fit and available for selection when Bremen host FC St. Pauli at the Weserstadion on Saturday afternoon.
Boniface’s fitness will also be of interest to Super Eagles selectors, as Nigeria continues to monitor the health of several key players ahead of the upcoming international window.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
