• Roy Hodgson to give injured Arsenal midfielder time to recover • ‘No decision before Brazil. It will be 24 hours before first game’

Roy Hodgson will delay his decision on whether to include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his England World Cup squad until the very last moment to allow the Arsenal midfielder every opportunity to recover from his knee injury.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is continuing his rehabilitation after limping off during the 2-2 draw against Ecuador in Miami and worked with England’s physios on Friday morning. The England manager has until up to 24 hours before their opening match against Italy on 14 June to name a replacement but he is keen to include Oxlade-Chamberlain if possible.

“We won’t make a decision before we go to Brazil. It will be at the very last moment 24 hours before our first game,” Hodgson said. “We’re working very hard and he’s working hard. Let’s see and hope it’s not too serious. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

“He’s a positive character. It was a major blow. He’s had a long period of inactivity and seeing him play well excited us all. So you can imagine how sad he is now he’s on the sidelines but his mood is good.”

The Everton defender John Stones or Liverpool’s Jon Flanagan are tipped to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain should he fail to recover as both are in Miami with the squad, although Hodgson refused to be drawn on that possibility.

“We’ve spent so much time discussing this squad over the last two months it won’t be difficult to find the right solution if it comes to that,” he added.

Raheem Sterling is set to miss Saturday’s final warm-up match against Honduras after being sent off against Ecuador. Hodgson praised the Liverpool winger’s reaction to his red card but remained tight-lipped over his starting lineup.

“People are trying to second guess every team and the formation. I reserve the right to put the team out and play the way I want to play for this game. I’m not trying to fool anybody,” he said.

“The seven who were rested will play. I’m not here to disguise that. But some of those who played on Wednesday will also take part in this game.

“Sterling, if you saw training, you will have seen some outstanding moments from him and other young players. We saw Oxlade play so well the other day. What makes me happy is that it justifies my selection. I was bold to take young players but so far they’ve stepped up to the plate. I hope they’ll continue to grow."

Hodgson added: “[Sterling’s] reaction to the red card has been excellent. He was unstoppable at times in training. Some of the things he did out there were breathtaking and he’s not going to lose any fitness. The dilemma I have is that more than 11 are capable of taking the field against Italy. I don’t need to see a performance from him on the field to know he’s capable of playing in the Italy game is suspected.

“But I’m disappointed for him. He was going to start in this game. When he got sent off that was a blow to my plans but it doesn’t affect his chances of playing when the tournament starts.”

The captain Steven Gerrard was also glowing in his praise for the young players in the squad and believes they can have a real impact in Brazil.

“They’re growing day by day. Everyone’s capable of playing in the starting 11. That’s healthy and good,” he said.

“One of my roles as captain is for any young lads, I’ll look out for them. Not only Raheem because he’s from Liverpool. I spoke to Alex as well. It’s not about 11, it’s about 23.

“Alex was man of the match against Ecuador but there were a lot of positives. Ross [Barkley] showed flashes as well. I’m really happy with where we are at the moment with 10 days to go to Italy.”