Marseille Miss Nkoulou - Morel

The stand-in centre-back has revealed how OM have been coping without their injured Cameroonian defender

Franco-Reunionnais defender Jeremy Morel has admitted that he and his teammates miss absent Cameroon international stopper Nicolas Nkoulou.

The centre-back underwent a knee operation on February 23 and has not played for Marseille since December 21. He did feature for Cameroon at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, but was disappointing as the Indomitable Lions were eliminated in the first round.

In his absence, Morel, who typically plays left-back, has had to stand-in at the centre of defence. While Morel has equipped himself well to life in an unfamiliar position, OM have stumbled, winning only one of their last five matches.

“He’s someone important, so of course he’s missed,” Morel began, as reported by Marseille’s official website, “It’s more natural to play with Nico, because he was formed in this position [in central defence].

“We try to do our best without him. We’re missing some stability, but it’s not the fault of any one player, it’s the fault of the group.”

Nkoulou began learning his craft at the Kadji Sports Academy back in Cameroon, before moving to AS Monaco in 2007. He swapped the Riviera for the Stade Velodrome in 2011 and has gone on to become a central figure at the club.

His composed, consistent performances in Ligue 1 have led to interest from the likes of Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.