Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface will begin rehabilitation on his groin injury after undergoing a successful surgery, the club has confirmed.
The injury forced Boniface out of Nigeria’s 2023 AFCON squad and was replaced by Terem Moffi on Tuesday after he sustained the injury during their training camp in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“Victor Boniface was successfully operated today (Wednesday) in Berlin. The striker will return to Leverkusen later this week to start his rehabilitation process,” the club shared on X.
Leverkusen had earlier announced that the player would be out of action until April.
After being tagged as one of the biggest stars from Nigeria at the AFCON which kicks off on Saturday, Boniface will have to wait for his first major tournament for Nigeria as he wished the team good luck.
“Good luck guys. Wish you guys all the best at AFCON,” Boniface wrote on his Instagram account on Tuesday commenting on a Super Eagles post.
Boniface’s injury comes on top of the recent withdrawal of midfielder Wilfred Ndidi who was injured in Leicester City’s 2-0 win at Cardiff City on December 29.
On January 3, Alhassan Yusuf was named as Ndidi’s replacement while Ndidi’s Leicester team mate Kelechi Iheanacho is also an injury doubt but coach Jose Peseiro has confirmed that he has finished his recovery.
Aside from Nigeria, Leverkusen will also miss the services of the 23-year-old.
Boniface is Leverkusen’s top scorer, netting 16 goals across all competitions this season. He made his international debut in October 2023 and has since earned four for Nigeria.
He has been instrumental to Xabi Alonso’s side who are vying for a first Bundesliga title. They currently sit first in the table with 42 points after 16 matches and face Augsburg in an away match on Saturday January 13.