‘McQueen reminds me of Defoe’ – Ebbsfleet chief believes new signing has similar attributes to England ace

Jermain Defoe may be into the twilight of his career but with 14 Premier League goals to his name this season he is still one of the best strikers in the country.

But could the heir to Defoe’s pocket rocket crown be five divisions below England’s top flight?

Ebbsfleet United’s Darren McQueen has been attracting interest from football league clubs after scoring 12 goals so far this season.

Fleet vice-chairman Peter Varney was at Charlton when a young Defoe was coming through the ranks. He sees similarities between McQueen and the current Sunderland frontman.

He said: “He’s a very, very bright young talent. Without wanting to put too much pressure on his shoulders Darren has got a lot of the traits that Defoe had and if he develops in the right way I think Darren has got a very bright future in the game.”

Ebbsfleet are currently three points behind leaders Maidenhead in the National League South following a run of five straight wins.

Varney is particularly pleased with the job manager Daryl McMahon has done since he took charge.

He said: “If you look at the stats on managers Daryl’s current win ratio is up there around 60%. If you look at the greats like Sir Alex Ferguson his were in the fifties so his results have been top drawer. He is trying to play an attacking brand of football as well so we’re very pleased with the job he’s doing.”

Ebbsfleet’s next game is on Saturday when they travel to Whitehawk.