Ebbsfleet manager Dennis Kutrieb has backed new striker Nathan Odokonyero to be a surprise package in the National League.

The 20-year-old joined the Fleet from Isthmian Premier Bognor for an undisclosed fee on Saturday after impressing during the opening weeks of pre-season.

He played two friendlies as ‘Trialist A’ but Kutrieb saw enough during those matches and in training to push through a deal for a player who spent time at Chelsea and Brighton as a youngster before joining Lincoln City. He’s been at Bognor for the last two seasons.

“We saw him first at Bognor Regis and we liked what he did there,” said Kutrieb. “Because he’s so young I think he can learn so many things.

“He has the basics, he can score goals and he works a lot off the ball as well. He has a good work-rate, a good attitude and good character.

“He’s such a young player that if we get him prepared and ready then he can be a big surprise for everyone.”

Odokonyero scored 25 goals for Bognor last season but Kutrieb insisted that he’s got time on his side at Stonebridge Road.

He might feature on the opening day game at Rochdale with Dominic Poleon suspended and Rakish Bingham injured, but there’s no pressure for him to deliver.

“We don’t have an under-23 or 21s so it’s not like we’re signing people for the future,” added Kutrieb.

“But we’re not signing him and saying he needs to make an impact straight away.

“We don’t put too much expectations on him, we just want him in and around us and if he can make an impact then he will play.

“I’m sure we will see some goals from him, for a young player like him it’s a massive chance to step up two levels. He can be in a good squad with experienced strikers to learn from them and take it from there.

“I’m not putting any pressure on him, I’m happy that he wants to deliver. He wants to work hard, you could see in the 60 minutes he played against Colchester on Saturday that he was everywhere on the pitch.

“Now we need to get the work in him to do the right things in the right moment. He’s young so I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Meanwhile, the Fleet’s opening National League game at Rochdale on Saturday, August 5 will now kick-off at 5.30pm after it was selected for live TV coverage.

The game will be shown on TNT Sport, which is the new name for BT Sport as last season’s National League South champions make the trip to Spotland to face a team that were relegated from League 2.

“It’s an amazing reward for last season, maybe the last time we get something nice for doing something good last season,” said Kutrieb.

“That’s why I really like the idea and think that the boys deserve it. It’s a slight change to the kick-off time but that’s it, it’s still a game of football.

“It’s two and a half hours later so it slightly changes when we get food and things like that but our overall approach won’t change.”