Victor Boniface has dropped to third-choice striker at Bayer Leverkusen, with coach Erik ten Hag now preferring Patrik Schick and teenager Christian Kofane ahead of him.
Boniface was among the substitutes and warmed up on the sidelines but never came on. Instead, Kofane replaced Patrik Schick and made an instant impact, scoring Leverkusen’s third goal before winning a penalty.
It was the clearest sign yet that Boniface has slipped down the pecking order, with Schick restored as first-choice and Kofane leapfrogging him as Ten Hag’s preferred option from the bench.
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The development is a major blow for the 24-year-old, who was Leverkusen’s top scorer in their unbeaten title-winning season of 2023–24 with 14 Bundesliga goals. But injuries disrupted his rhythm last term, restricting him to 8 goals in 19 league appearances.
“Boni is making progress, but he’s not yet where he should be,” Ten Hag said before the match.
Victor Boniface ( photo credit: Getty Images)
Sporting director Simon Rolfes added: “It’s a snapshot in time. The 60 minutes against Kerkrade did him good, but Kofi is doing really well.”
Boniface joined Leverkusen from Belgian side Royale Union SG in 2023, has scored 32 goals and registered 13 assists in 61 appearances for Die Werkself.
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The timing could not be worse for Boniface. Leverkusen kick off their Bundesliga campaign at home to Hoffenheim on Saturday.
