At the end of a week in which he had looked increasingly sure-footed it was perhaps appropriate that Phil Neville reached for a mountaineering metaphor. “The last step of climbing Mount Everest is always the hardest and that’s where we are now,” said the new England women’s coach following his side’s creditable performance in the SheBelieves Cup.

A 4-1 victory against France in Columbus, a 2-2 draw with Germany in New Jersey and a 1-0 defeat to the USA, the tournament winners, in Orlando emphasised that, while both physically and tactically the Lionesses are a match for anyone, a slight technical shortfall remains.

“Winning things is always the final leap and the hardest to take,” said the former Manchester United and England full-back following the defeat to Jill Ellis’s side. “It’s where you lose people along the way.”

It will be intriguing to see which players fall by the wayside along the Lionesses’ road to France and the 2019 World Cup Neville has been tasked with winning but, encouragingly, England held their own in the US without two key injured players. Had Manchester City’s Steph Houghton, their captain and most commanding centre half, and Arsenal’s Jordan Nobbs, a game changing midfielder, been fit the outcome in Orlando might just have been different.

What matters more is that after a shaky start – when he claimed, erroneously: “People want me to fail, 100%” – Neville began evidently winning the hearts and minds of those players upset by Mark Sampson’s controversial departure.

Most new managers are hired in the wake of their predecessor’s poor results but Sampson, who was sacked for non-football reasons, had reached the semi-finals of both the last World Cup and European Championship.

“I’m lucky the previous manager left me with brilliant foundations,” said Neville, who knows many of his players were dismayed by Sampson’s exit. Mo Marley – Neville’s caretaker predecessor who assisted him in the US – was required to pour considerable oil on troubled waters. “Mo had the most difficult job,” acknowledged Neville. “She had to deal with the transition between Mark and me and deal with a lot of the disappointment. The players weren’t broken but they were probably a little bit fractured.”

Such fissures appear healed following a tournament in which they not only enjoyed being introduced to Neville’s former team-mate David Beckham but bought into a philosophical shift from often necessary past pragmatism towards a more expansive, front foot, passing game.

Even so, the team’s ability to “mix it up” after deploying a variety of styles and systems against different opponents in recent years promises to serve Neville well. It was significant that switching to direct tactics at a time when they were struggling against Germany secured the draw.

Injuries also facilitated the introduction of new blood with Manchester City’s Keira Walsh suggesting Neville has a fine young holding midfielder on his hands. Similarly, Abbie McManus showed off her central defensive potential after a serious knee injury sustained against France abruptly ended the recalled Chelsea defender Anita Asante’s tournament.

If Millie Bright’s heavy involvement in the disappointing goals England conceded made it a week to forget for the normally reliable defender, in attack, the exciting development of her Chelsea team-mate Fran Kirby at times offered England a long craved ability to “play between the lines”.

Phil Neville reacts after he got in the way of play. Photograph: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

Refreshingly, Neville appeared ever ready to listen to advice from the experienced Marley – a powerful advocate of both a more passing approach and the fast tracking of young players – and her fellow coach Casey Stoney, while displaying a capacity to influence events from the technical area.

A much improved final half hour against the US – during which Birmingham’s impressive Ellen White both hit a post and suggested she can challenge Jodie Taylor for the centre forward role – may not have been quite sufficient to earn a draw but, like France’s Corinne Diacre and Germany’s Steffi Jones, Ellis surely glimpsed the glittering potential of these new look Lionesses.

The Lyon right-back, Lucy Bronze – Neville’s stand in captain and, like Barcelona’s increasingly assured Toni Duggan, a player benefiting from recently moving abroad – is convinced trophies lie ahead.

“I think we’re building something and beginning to play good football,” said Bronze after the US defeat. “This is just the beginning. I think we’ve got so much more to give than any other team in the world.”