Wednesday 27 February 2019 07:09, UK
England Women captain Steph Houghton believes the SheBelieves Cup is 'great exposure' for a number of younger players in the squad.
The invitational four-team tournament will see the Lionesses face hosts USA, Japan and Brazil in a round-robin competition over the course of the next week.
And with notable absentees Millie Bright, Jill Scott and Jordan Nobbs, manager Phil Neville is likely to take the opportunity to bring a number of youngsters into the fold ahead of this summer's World Cup.
The likes of Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Abbie McManus and Chioma Ubogagu are all expected to feature over the next seven days - something which Houghton believes can only benefit England in the long run.
On the tournament she said, "It's massive for us and we love being part of this tournament, playing against some of the best teams in the world.
"We know these types of teams are going to be there or thereabouts in the summer so it's great exposure.
"Especially as a lot of these players haven't played in these types of competition before - where you are training, playing and recovering quickly.
"It's similar to what we are going to face in the group stages of the World Cup so it's a great opportunity."
England face Brazil in the opening clash of the competition in Pennsylvania on Wednesday evening (kick-off 9pm GMT), having beaten the same side 1-0 in a friendly back in October.
However, Houghton believes they will face a very different side to the lacklustre one on show that day but insists it changes nothing in England's approach.
"It will be a very technical game, they love having the ball and have a world class player in Marta," Houghton added.
"But for us the attitude and application remains the same - we want to play the way we want to play, try to control the game and hurt them defensively."
