Werder Bremen Head of Professional Football, Peter Niemeyer, has defended the club’s decision to reintegrate Victor Boniface into the squad following the striker’s recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Boniface joined Werder Bremen on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the 2025 summer transfer window but endured a difficult campaign at the Weserstadion.

The Nigerian forward struggled to cement a regular starting place, managing only two assists in 11 Bundesliga appearances before suffering another knee injury in December 2025.

The setback sidelined the former Royale Union Saint-Gilloise striker for around four months, causing him to miss 17 Bundesliga matches, including key fixtures against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite concerns over his fitness and lack of match sharpness, Werder Bremen opted to include Boniface in the squad during the closing weeks of the season as the club battled to secure Bundesliga survival.

Speaking to DeichStube, Niemeyer explained that the decision was made primarily to strengthen the squad depth rather than place immediate expectations on the Super Eagles striker.

“We tried to put things into perspective at the time, to understand why we were bringing him back and how we wanted to approach the whole thing,” Niemeyer said.

“We didn't know what might happen in the final stages of the season. We deliberately didn't raise expectations too high. It was more about having an additional option in case of emergency.”

Although Boniface recovered before the end of the season, he did not make another competitive appearance as Werder Bremen eventually retained their Bundesliga status.