England midfielder Jordan Henderson has claimed that teammate Raheem Sterling can be the Three Lions' "secret weapon" at the World Cup.

The 19-year-old has barely featured for Roy Hodgson's side in their warm-up games ahead of the tournament, as he missed the 0-0 draw with Honduras due to his red card against Ecuador.

Henderson has insisted that Sterling has the ability to have a major impact in Brazil after an excellent season at Liverpool.

"Raheem is a fantastic player. I think you've seen that in the Premier League and even when he's played for England," Henderson told reporters.

"Possibly it could make him a secret weapon because he's not played [in the friendlies]. Obviously, he will have been disappointed he could not feature, but in training he has looked very, very good, so he'll be thriving on this.

"I think he's outstanding, has no fear. For such a young boy he's got great awareness and his knowledge of the game is really good. I think he can be a big plus for us in this World Cup."

England face Italy in their World Cup opener on Saturday.