Nottingham Forest manager Sean O'Driscoll has declared Simon Cox's speedy recovery from injury a medical mystery as the striker plots a remarkable return this weekend.

Cox suffered a detached ligament in Forest's 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month and was ruled out for at least two months with the problem.

The Republic of Ireland international returned from holiday this week and declared himself fit to return, much to O'Driscoll's surprise.

He said: "We gave him some time off because he couldn't really do anything and we didn't want him just hanging about.

"We expected him to report back still on crutches but he walked through the door on Monday and declared himself fit. He has really defied medical opinion all week. He's been out on the grass, he has been running on the treadmill and everyone is really pleased with how he's doing.

"He wants to be included in the squad for Saturday. It might be a little bit too soon for that but I think everyone is positive about the fact that we're going to get him back pretty quickly."

The 25-year-old is aiming to be included in the Forest squad for this weekend's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, more than a month ahead of schedule.