Claudio Pizarro and Martin Harnik back Victor Boniface to regain scoring form at Werder Bremen despite a slow start to the season.

Two former Werder Bremen strikers have expressed confidence that Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface will rediscover his goalscoring touch despite a slow start at the club.

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Claudio Pizarro, who netted 153 goals in 320 appearances for Bremen, acknowledged the striker’s early struggles but encouraged him to stay focused.

“He is in a challenging phase at the moment, but he just has to keep working to show his quality again,” Pizarro told German outlet DeichStube.

“Hopefully, he will start scoring at Werder, that would be very important for both sides. When he scores, then hopefully a lot of goals will come.”

Martin Harnik, who began his professional career at Bremen before moving on to clubs including Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Hannover and Hamburg, compared Boniface to former Germany international Max Kruse.

Harnik stressed that the Nigerian forward would thrive with more freedom on the pitch.

“It is clear that he is a special character. To me, he is someone you must allow to express himself. Similar to Max Kruse, he needs as much freedom as possible,” the 38-year-old said.

“If you let him off the leash, I believe he is a really creative player who enjoys the game and will also help the team.”

Victor Boniface joined Bremen on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen and has made nine appearances under manager Horst Steffen without scoring.

Early challenges, including concerns about weight, diet, and adaptation to expectations, have added pressure on the 2024 Bundesliga rookie of the year.

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Despite these hurdles, Pizarro and Harnik’s endorsements highlight the faith that Bremen’s most respected alumni have in Boniface’s potential to revive his form and contribute significantly to the team at Weser Stadium.