The Chelsea lad played the first half at The Ricoh Arena on Monday and will be watched in training over the course of the week with a view to being involved from the off at Meadow Lane.

Manager Steve Davis said: "He didn't really commit himself physically through the game [at Coventry], he was a bit too cautious in his approach.

"It's difficult to make a judgement to how close he'll be for the weekend. He'll train today and we'll see how he goes and i'll assess him day by day.

"The opposition aren't going to leave him alone so we'll get around him in training and test him out. It's more of a mental thing than a physical thing and we'll try and get him back up to speed.

"He's done remarkably well to be where he is after three-and-a-half weeks with that type of injury - he's worked hard to come back."