Bayer Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso, and the club sporting director, Simon Rolfes, have both lauded Nigerian striker Victor Boniface following his match-winning performance last weekend, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Boniface has made a flying start to his Bayer Leverkusen career with three goals and one assist in as many competitive games.
The 22-year-old bagged a brace as Bayer Leverkusen trounced Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 in a Rhine derby at Borussia Park on Saturday.
Boniface proved his elite-level credentials in the Europa League last season, providing two goals and two assists in four meetings with Union Berlin in the group stage and round of 16, while also hitting the target against his current employer in the quarter-finals.
His impressive performance saw him finish as joint-top scorer along with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League campaign with six goals in 10 games and earned him a move to Germany from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a deal worth around €20m.
After moving to Bayer over the summer, he scored a debut goal in the DFB Cup against Leipzig, registered a debut assist in the Bundesliga and hit a brace on his second German top-flight outing.
Speaking with Bundesliga.com, the Liverpool legend hailed the Nigerian for his qualities.
“Victor’s a real problem for opposition defences. He’s powerful, quick and makes runs from deep. He has a good mentality and works for the team, not for himself,” Alonso said.
The club’s sporting director Rolfes added,” “He’s been on our radar for some time. His performance against us absolutely confirmed our positive assessment. Victor is a very commanding and difficult to handle centre forward who will be a challenge for every defender with his physicality. He’s also quick and has good technique.”
Boniface will hope to increase his goals tally when Bayer Leverkusen host Darmstadt on matchday 3 of the leaguea
