A decision on whether Toby Flood leaves Leicester and calls a halt to his England career will be made within a month, the club and player said on Tuesday. The fly-half was speaking for the first time about the possibility of moving to France at the end of the season, thus ending his chances of playing in the 2015 World Cup.

Flood said he had spoken to the England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, and the possibility of missing the World Cup was one reason the decision was taking so long. "I've been really open with Stuart and that's another factor," said the 28-year-old who has been an England player for seven years since his debut against Argentina. "It's in the melting pot and I'm trying to work it out as best as I can.

"A home World Cup is amazing, the chances England have got and the way they have been playing is great. I fully believe in what England are doing," said Flood, adding that staying in England was no guarantee of a place in Lancaster's plans. "No one's guaranteed are they? If I stay because I want to play in that World Cup and then a month out I do my knee ... there is no right or wrong decision."

A move to France signalled by the New Year would clearly leave Lancaster with a difficult decision ahead of the upcoming Six Nations. Should he persist with an experienced fly-half who, under the current arrangements he cannot pick for 2015, or should he use every minute before September 2015 givingTest experience to the next No10 on the rank, currently 20-year-old George Ford of Bath or Freddie Burns whose form is suffering along with Gloucester's?

Ford left Leicester in the summer to get more game time away from Flood and Burns is reported to be one of the fly-halves being considered by Leicester's director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, should Flood leave. Questions over Flood's Leicester future were first raised by Cockerill ahead of the autumn internationals when he predicted that much would depend on whether the fly-half felt he had an England future. Against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, he started every game from the replacements' bench as Owen Farrell took control of the No10 shirt, amassing 41 points in the three games.

During a break in training for Leicester's Heineken Cup game against Montpellier on Sunday, Cockerill returned to the theme, suggesting a possible timetable. "We're speaking to him now and clearly he has some decisions to make," said Cockerill. "The French market, the Japanese market, the World Cup all comes into the melting pot. There has to come a point – late December, early January. If he's thinking about doing other things with his life, which you can understand, we need to move on."

It is a point Flood clearly understands: "I've been really honest with Leicester because affects other people's lives so I'm trying to be as quick and as honest as I can be.

"It's a lot more drawn out than I thought it would be because I want to work things out. It's not just me; it's about my family and others."

The former England prop Andrew Sheridan, now playing in France with Toulon, could be forced to retire with a neck injury. The 34-year-old, who was capped 40 caps for England, has been told to rest, but his coach Bernard Laporte said "Andrew is out for a month and possibly forever."