• Manager feels he has answered critics by qualifying for finals • ‘I love my players – they are like my family now’

Phil Neville believes his Lionesses can build on the success of Gareth Southgate’s side this summer in reigniting a passion for international football, after England Women qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in France.

“It’s the only thing that captures the imagination,” he said after his team scored three goals in 12 minutes to see off a resilient Wales in Newport on Friday night. “Gareth, the Under-20s and Under-18s have had success. There’s a template there now for how to prepare for a World Cup. How many friendlies you’ve got to play against certain opposition at a certain level and how you behave and how you interact with the fans.

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“You saw what Gareth did in the summer, probably our biggest success was what happened off the field as much as what happened on it. In terms of engagement with the media and the fans.”

This week, the FA submitted a bid to host the 2021 European Championship and Neville said missing out on the finals in France would have been a huge setback. “Even going to a play-off would have sent the wrong message. I’ve put myself under a lot of pressure with the fact that I want to win a World Cup, so if we’d slipped up tonight it would have been a massive blow for everybody.”

With friendlies against Brazil and Australia – at Notts County and Fulham – secured and a trip to the Netherlands and a possible visit of Sweden lined up, Neville said thinking ahead is important: “I spoke to Gareth when he came back and said we’re not planning anything until after Wales. He said: ‘Phil iIf I was you, I would start planning now because it soon catches up on you.’”

Neville feels he has answered his critics and developed a passion for his team that he hopes will drive them towards success. “For me I’ve got to win games and I’ve done that. When I took over people said I didn’t know anything about the women’s game and I didn’t know how to cope with female footballers.

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“I think from day one I’ve put that to bed and I’ve used that as my motivation. Every time we win a game it’s another box ticked. I’ve embraced this. You know when you hear Klopp, José and Poch [Mauricio Pochettino] say they love their players? I do. I love working in the women’s game and my players are like my family now and it’s special.”