Ebbsfleet's injured club captain Dave Winfield may not require knee surgery after all.

Winfield ruptured his medial ligament during Fleet's 2-0 win over Maidstone on August 8.

The centre-half is going to miss a significant chunk of their first season back in the National League but if specialists are happy with how Winfield's knee is healing, the 29-year-old could be back as early as December.

"We don’t know," said manager Daryl McMahon when asked whether Winfield would need surgery. "It’s in the lap of the gods.

"Knowing that he’s a fit lad and he looks after himself and does things the right way, it’s six weeks to see of the fibres have come back together. They are attached but can they grow again?

"If they don’t, he needs surgery and he’s out for six months.

"If they do start growing back and linking together, it’ll be three months.

"We have to err on the side of caution and expect the worst but it would be a nice little Christmas present to get him back."

Ebbsfleet signed Chris Bush from Chelmsford last week and he went straight into the team for games against Gateshead and Dover over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Kenny Clark and Jack Connors have both picked up hamstring injuries since Winfield was sidelined and Sam Magri, another defender, is now on international duty with Malta.

Yado Mambo has been thrust into the side and looks to be finding some real form alongside Bush, who has signed a two-year contract at Stonebridge Road.

McMahon said: "We have patched a few things up over the last couple of weeks but we still find a way to get points and to influence ourselves on the game which is impressive with this group.

"I thought Mambo again was excellent on Monday. He’s a player that’s had, if I’m being honest, a terrible two years in his career.

"He wasn’t picked for Margate, wasn’t picked for Bishop’s Stortford and we brought him in last year as a character I knew because he was here before.

"I believe in what he can do and he’s now finally believing in himself. He’s had three or four games this season and he’s starting to come through. His shoulders are going back, his chest is coming out and he’s influencing games now. I think he’s a very good player.

"Bush joined Friday and hasn’t trained yet. He’s played two games without any training sessions, which I don’t like because he doesn’t know how we do things. He hears it in the changing-room before a game but actually showing him on the training ground and videos, it’s something we’ve not been able to do yet as an example.

"Mambo probably hasn’t had two games in a row in who knows how many years, let alone two in three days, what he’s just done now.

"Hopefully we get JC and Clarky back as soon as we can.

"It’s nice to now go Saturday-Saturday so it gives a little bit of recovery time for everybody. Hopefully we can get those players back quickly."