England arguably played their most attractive rugby while Ashton was backs coach under Clive Woodward from 1998-2002 and Hodgson, who flies out to the United States on Saturday for specialist treatment on his injured right knee, welcomed his appointment as Andy Robinsons successor.

It was an encouraging appointment because hes obviously a good coach and a good bloke to work with, said Hodgson.

Hes very open-minded and likes to try new things. Hes very attack-minded. His aim is to score lots of tries and thats what I try to do.

The times that I have worked with him I have enjoyed and I hope to have the opportunity to work with him in the future. I just have to get fit and play well.

Hodgson, who marked his England debut with a record-breaking 44-point haul against Romania in November 2001, has been out of action since suffering a ruptured cruciate ligament to his right knee while winning his 26th cap in the 23-21 win over South Africa in November.

It brought back painful memories of a similar injury to his left knee which forced him to sit out the 2003 World Cup but he is determined not to miss out again.

He has been making steady progress alongside Sale Sharks team-mate Jason White, who suffered a similar injury a week later playing for Scotland, and the pair hope to fast-track their recovery by spending a month working under knee specialist Bill Knowles at his orthopaedic clinic in Vermonts Killington Mountain ski resort.

The World Cup is definitely a target, said Hodgson. But I have to be fit and ready to play in the first place.

I need to have played games and then Ill see where it takes me. If Brian Ashton decides Im not match fit, then so be it, Ill have to take it on the chin. Im definitely keeping my hopes alive at the moment.

Hodgson says he will draw confidence from having overcome the same injury in the past and has also been inspired by the comeback of his rival for the number 10 jersey, Jonny Wilkinson.

Hes obviously had such a rough time, with the lows he must have had over the last year, two years, he said.

It must have been an absolute nightmare for him but the way hes dealt with all that and come back and performed in an England shirt again has been a credit to him and shows what a great character he is.'