MARSEILLE FORWARD Andre Ayew believes English midfielder Joey Barton will prove to be a valuable addition to the Ligue 1 side.

Barton joined the French club on a season-long loan in August from Premier League side Queens Park Rangers.

The troubled midfielder will miss the next nine league matches due to a domestic ban but could make his debut against Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

Marseille have enjoyed a strong start to their season, and top the table having conceded just once in four straight wins. Ellie Baup’s men will be looking to make it five out of five when they travel to Nancy on Sunday.

“When Joey arrived we immediately had a good feeling,” Ayew said. ”He is feeling better and better. He worked a lot. He had no preparation so we need to be patient with him. Moreover, he is going to miss a few games. So, we should not ask a lot from him at the beginning.

“But little by little, he is getting better physically and emotionally. I think he will be very valuable for this team. He is a player with character, and I hope he will be able to bring this to Marseille.”

Ayew said he and his team-mates were buoyed by their early successes but stressed there was still plenty of work to do this season.

“We have to keep up this momentum even if we know it is going to be tough on Sunday because of the international matches and so on. We are preparing for this and will focus on performing well at Nancy,” he said. ”Today we only have to think about the upcoming match. This match against Nancy is the same as any other match. We must be very aggressive, but very calm. We need to have a lot of determination and do everything to perform well there.”

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