Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain targets Uruguay clash

England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has earmarked Thursday's World Cup clash with Uruguay to make his return from injury.

The Arsenal ace very nearly saw his dreams of playing in the competition dashed after sustaining a knee injury in the warm-up friendly with Ecuador a fortnight ago.

Initial assessments over the duration of his injury were wide of the mark, and the youngster has stepped up his rehabilitation in a bid to play a part in Sao Paulo next week.

"We are not sure about time scales," he told Sky Sports News. "We are hopeful that [returning for Uruguay] would be realistic but there is nothing set in stone and I can't say whether I will definitely be back or not.

"We just know we are very positive about it. We are going to keep pushing and keep working towards it.

"Considering when the injury was, I'm really happy - as are the medical team - with how it's progressed."

England slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Italy in their Group D opener in Manaus this morning.