Kris Commons says he will not rush back into a return from his groin injury as Nottingham Forest's promotion campaign continues to stutter.Forest have slipped adrift of the automatic promotion spots with three successive draws, all in Commons' absence, since he suffered the injury in the defeat by Carlisle earlier in the month.

"It would be foolish coming back too early, aggravate it and spend another couple of weeks out of the picture," Commons told the club's official website.

"Apparently it's an acute strain high up in the groin which might take a week or two to get over. I'm hoping to be in contention for the trip to Northampton on Good Friday."

The highly-rated midfielder is out of contract in the summer, and speculation is rife that Commons will leave the City Ground if the Reds do not secure promotion back to the Championship.

"I've been reasonably pleased with my contribution so far this season," the 24-year-old added. "I would love to get into double figures in terms of goals. The most important thing is to help the team finish strongly and then we'll see where we are at the end of the season."

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