Ebbsfleet United manager Danny Searle gives post-match update on striker Dominic Samuel after goalless National League draw at Braintree Town

Ebbsfleet manager Danny Searle says he’ll wait to find out the full extent of striker Dominic Samuel’s injury before deciding whether to move into the loan market.

Samuel was helped off after a fourth-minute challenge with Braintree goalkeeper Lucas Covolan in Monday’s National League goalless draw at Cressing Road.

Rumours quickly spread to the extent of the injury and a Braintree steward incorrectly told Fleet fans that the player left the ground in an ambulance. He was driven to hospital by Ebbsfleet football operations manager/secretary Katie Knowles.

Speaking immediately after the game, Searle said: “No disrespect to the hospital service in this country but there’s no way he would have been in and X-rayed in that amount of time. By the way, they’re looking after him fantastically well.

“Chinese whispers are fantastic but he went in a car with Katie and the only reason we took him like that was because of the pain he was in.

“The bottom line is let’s deal with facts and we’ve had no information either way of what the injury is.

“It was a big loss for us as we set up and have a plan for him in the team. Obviously, we know that we’ve got Dominic Poleon there and he’s ready to go but you don’t expect to be making subs in the sixth minute. We just hope that he’s okay, we haven’t had any news on that yet so we’ll wait to see.”

Samuel is the fourth striker to pick up an injury already this season. Nathan Odokonyero is a long-term absentee after being injured at Tonbridge in pre-season, Bingham was injured in the pre-season opener at Punjab United while Kwame Thomas came off in the first half at Yeovil.

The transfer window for Football League clubs closes at the end of the week but Searle thinks that could have a positive