Roy Hodgson is giving serious consideration to reintroducing Adam Johnson into his England squad and potentially holding a World Cup place for him in the absence of the injured Theo Walcott.

Hodgson has provisional plans to make a rare trip to Sunderland on Saturday to watch Gus Poyet's team take on Hull City, specifically with a view to making a check on Johnson. The England manager has been encouraged by Johnson's run of seven goals in his last seven games and has pencilled in this weekend because it would also give him the chance to assess Tom Huddlestone's form.

Huddlestone is regarded as a potential back-up if any of Hodgson's central midfielders are injured before the World Cup. Yet it is Johnson who is uppermost in Hodgson's thoughts, with the 26-year-old in line for a recall when England play Denmark in a friendly at Wembley on 5 March, their last match before their provisional squad is announced for this summer's tournament in Brazil.

Johnson was not even guaranteed a place in the Sunderland team a month ago and has often struggled since joining the club from Manchester City in August 2012. The last of his 12 England caps was nine days before that £10m transfer, in a friendly against Italy in Bern, and he has not been involved in any capacity since he was an unused substitute in the World Cup qualifier against Poland two months later.

His sudden burst of form has been instrumental in Sunderland's best spell of the season and his scoring in the 3-0 defeat of Newcastle at the weekend has left Hodgson wondering whether the former Middlesbrough player can finally start performing at that level consistently.

Hodgson's need is exacerbated by the knee injury that has ruled Walcott out of the tournament. Danny Welbeck would ordinarily be expected to start on the left side of attack whereas James Milner is a favourite of Hodgson's on the right.

The choice, however, is limited. Andros Townsend's dramatic introduction to the England team has been followed by a spell out of the team at Tottenham. Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez have impressed for Southampton, though the latter had a disappointing debut for England in the November defeat to Chile.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's return from injury is better news but Ashley Young has largely been out of favour at Manchester United. England's management consider Aaron Lennon too erratic while Welbeck and Milner are used only sparingly by their own clubs.

Johnson made his international debut under Fabio Capello in the 2010 World Cup warm-up match against Mexico but he did not make the final cut and, since then, he has started only four games for England. At City, he was often criticised by Roberto Mancini for not being focused enough, but his recent improvement is timed well from an England perspective and the Denmark game could conceivably give him the chance to win Hodgson's trust, 16 months since the player's last call-up.