'He is a really clever lad and we need him': Paris Saint-Germain stars hail cult hero Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ahead of clash with Caen with Stoke flop performing key role for giants Ex-Stoke flop Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has developed cult hero status at PSG The forward has only managed to score one goal in his 21 games for the club He has been given the unenviable task of playing as PSG's back-up forward However, Choupo-Moting has been praised by team-mates for his recent effortsBy Sam Mcevoy For Mailonline Published: 09:57 GMT, 1 March 2019 | Updated: 10:00 GMT, 1 March 2019 Viewcomments Last summer, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting traded Championship football for the Champions League when he completed his £13.5million move from Stoke to Paris Saint-Germain. While the signing raised many eyebrows around the footballing world, the Ligue 1 champions were keen on bringing in the tall Cameroon international forward as a back up for their super front three of Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Since making his move, the former Stoke flop has only managed one goal in 21 appearances for the Parisians but the 29-year-old is starting to develop a cult following as he continues to fill in for both Cavani and Neymar who are both out injured. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been backed by his PSG team-mates to succeed at the club Neymar will be on the sidelines for around a month after injurying his metatarsal while Cavani is back training with the group. While Choupo-Moting hasn't scored for PSG since his debut in September, fans have grown accustomed to the striker and have even created a chant for him as he set up his team-mate in the 3-0 over Dijon in the Coupe de France semi-finals. The simple chant was even picked up by team-mate Mbappe who was spotted singing along as he sat on the bench. PSG manager Thomas Tuchel admitted after the game that giant forward had a difficult spell at the club but is now enjoying playing football again. 'He went through a bit of a tough spell, but he has his confidence back again,' said Tuchel. And it wasn't just his manager that spoke highly of the forward either. PSG centre back Presnel Kimpembe insisted that they 'needed him on the pitch' for their upcoming games in the league and Champions League. 'We are enjoying having him, just as we are trying to ensure he enjoys being with us,' said defender Presnel Kimpembe. 'He is a really clever lad and we need him on the pitch.' PSG face relegation-threatened Caen on Saturday as they bid to go 20 points clear of second-placed Lille at the top of Ligue 1. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility