Maidstone boss Jay Saunders had never heard of his new signing until a few weeks ago.

Alex Akrofi joined on an 18-month deal from Brentwood having impressed against United in an FA Cup tie last month.

The exciting forward scored on his debut as Stones beat Cray in the League Cup on Tuesday but Saunders doesn’t want to put pressure on the 19-year-old.

He said: “I don’t want to build him up too much and have everyone thinking he’s the next big thing and will score 30 goals this season.

"The way he played here was probably the best centre-forward performance I’ve seen against us this season. If I’m being honest, I’d never heard of him before the scouting reports.”

Saunders went to watch Akrofi after the FA Cup tie and was impressed with his attitude during transfer talks.

The Stones boss, named manager-of-the-month for September, added: “We must have spoken four times and not once did he mention money. It was all about how we could improve him as a player and his role in the squad."

Akrofi is cup-tied for United’s FA Cup third qualifying round tie at Southern League Premier Division Biggleswade on Saturday.