LONDON -- Lucy Bronze has said playing alongside the new generation of England players gives her "a lot of excitement" while also keeping her on her toes.
The Lionesses squad has evolved rapidly over the past few months, with stalwarts like Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Fran Kirby all announcing their retirement from international duty.
A younger crop of talent has been infused into the England setup in the camps that have followed their Euros triumph in the summer.
Last month's clash against Australia saw three new debutants in the form of Taylor Hinds, Lucia Kendall and Khiara Keating, while Katie Reid was also called up to the squad for the first time.
Hinds and Kendall came off the bench in the 8-0 win over China at Wembley on Saturday, while Anna Moorehouse made her England debut between the sticks.
London City Lionesses' 20-year-old forward Freya Godfrey also received her first-callup for this month's friendlies but didn't come on against China.
On the opposite end of this spectrum lies Bronze, who is seventh on the list of all-time England appearances with the game against China marking her 143rd international cap.
"It has been really fun," she said of sharing the dressing room with the younger players.
"I think Lucia is a great example. Someone who, to be honest with you, I didn't know who she was at the start of the season! I think she's got a huge future ahead of her. I think she's going to be one of England's stars in the future.
"But just seeing players like that step in and just enjoy themselves, see them walking out of Wembley before the game and just looking up and just seeing how crazy it's to be playing here.
"I don't know ... It gives someone like me a lot of excitement because it could become, not mundane, but just a little more normal for me. But I think being able to share in their experiences makes it more exciting for me and makes sure that the rest of us keep on our toes as well because we want to do our best for them and also to stay in the team as well because there are so many of them who are so talented."
The win over China was England's biggest ever at Wembley, surpassing their 6-0 victory over Portugal earlier this year. Despite the ease with which they won, Bronze said there was an important lesson in the game for younger players to learn from.
- England's Euro 2025 heroines show class in China rout
- Stanway bags hat trick as England thrash China at Wembley
- Lauren Hemp: Lionesses not picking between Hampton and Earps
"I guess the only thing [learning] is the goals that we scored were unbelievable passes or finishes or runs. They were millimeters," she said.
"I think of [Lauren] Hemp's goal ... Like G [Georgia Stanway] passed it, no one could even touch that. It was such a good pass.
"So yeah, I mean China members weren't at their best, but even for us to score, we had to be completely doing the right things. And I think for the younger players they realize that coming on as well.
"Maybe you watch the game and think 'oh, it looks quite easy' because five nil, but you get to step on and realize you have to be at your best and give the good passes, always perform at the highest level.
"That's what makes the games easy for us. It's not because the opposition is bad because China is a good team."