After seeing his England team win the SheBelieves Cup in the USA earlier this week, a key test ahead of this summer’s Women's World Cup, manager Phil Neville believes that like his counterpart Gareth Southgate he is set to enjoy the benefits of the focus on youth of recent years.
With England sides experiencing tournament success at a number of different age levels over the past few years and those players enjoying a much smoother path to the senior ranks than before there is optimism not just for France 2019 but future competitions for both men and women.
"We have a youth system now on both codes that has been successful and used to winning things,” Neville told the BBC in the wake of the SheBelieves triumph where his side drew with world champions USA and comfortably beat Japan who they will face again in the World Cup group stages.
"Probably me and Gareth Southgate have got the best job because we're then getting them at their peak years."
Having taken over just before last year's SheBelieves tournament and with qualification for the World Cup itself seen as straightforward (although England were pushed all the way by Wales), Neville himself will be pleased to have passed his first big test as manager and shown that he can bring to the job the small percentages that will differentiate this Lionesses squad from those that have come up just short in the past few years at both the World Cup and European Championships.
His task of choosing a squad for France has also become slightly more difficult, albeit in a way the manager will be pleased with as all of the players he took to the USA impressed and even a much-changed side for the Japan game were far too good for their opponents.
The Women's Super League season resumes next week with Manchester City and Arsenal resuming their race for the title.
England are next in action with a friendly double-header against Canada and Spain in early April.