Millie Bright has said England want to be “world leaders on and off the pitch” after reaching an agreement with the Football Association over bonuses and commercial structures.

The issue flared up before the World Cup when the Guardian broke the story of the dispute. The players then tweeted a statement expressing their disappointment that the matter had not been resolved before the tournament and said they had decided to pause talks with the intention of revisiting them after.

On Thursday Bright, speaking before the Nations League game against Scotland on Friday, said that the players had “had a really good conversation with the FA”. It is understood that the FA significantly increased their offer in order to come to a deal.

Bright said: “We have come to an agreement but I think it’s bigger than just the bonus. For us it’s about being world leaders on and off the pitch, and as we know the women’s game is evolving very quickly and conversations like this need to happen in order to make sure in all areas we’re at the top of our game.”

“The conversation was extremely positive and as players we feel really confident moving forward about the structure we now have in place.”

The focus of the negotiations had been on backpay for commercial appearances as well as performance and World Cup bonuses. There is a genuine feeling that this agreement will pave the way for better discussions in the future and that there are not similar disagreements before a major tournament again. The players have been very keen to leave a legacy for future generations.

Bright said: “It’s the whole package that comes with the women’s game. It is more than just finances, it’s everything to do with the next generation and making sure … We’re extremely lucky and privileged that we have excellent facilities, and we already set the tone in many areas. I think that those conversations are also just about checking in [with each other] so that if a problem does pop up we’re in a position where we can have an open, honest conversation and be more solution-based, and that’s why we felt really positive.

“I feel lucky that we’re in a position to come together and come to an agreement and actually moving forward building a new structure where we can have more of that open dialogue to make sure everything stays where it needs to be.”

The England manager, Sarina Wiegman, said that she had expected an agreement to be reached. “As I said, last week too, the conversations had been [going] really well, but the World Cup was ahead of us,” she said. “So they needed to stop those conversations and had to start up after the World Cup. And that’s what happened. Yes, they didn’t come to an agreement then but I think the connections were made and there’s communication all the time. Now this part is solved and moving forward, it looks really good.

“That, of course, makes me very happy because it’s good for the players, good for the women’s game to move forward and to take the next step. That was also so good for us and we can focus on football, which we did anyway, during the World Cup. But in the end, when you start playing football, you don’t want to have that discussions at that moment and do that at a later point and that’s exactly what happened.”

Wiegman also said that the Arsenal forward Alessia Russo will not be involved on Friday but will return for the game against the Netherlands on Tuesday. The 24-year-old, who played in Champions League qualifying matches for the Gunners this month, joined up with England later than other squad members after what the FA called a “period of recuperation”, and Wiegman said: “She’s fine, she’s good. But before camp I had a conversation with her and I decided that she needed a little more rest. She won’t be available for tomorrow. We’re preparing her for availability for Tuesday.”

Asked whether the forward needed a physical or mental rest, Wiegman said: “You can’t really see that separately. She is one human being, physical and mental. We had a conversation and we have a team programme that we modify individually. Especially at this stage with the games coming up, we already talked about the calendar, it is such a short turnaround.

“You have conversations with players and then you have a feeling. We monitor them really well too. In these conversations, you become aware of things and I made the decision for her and thought ‘Hmm, this is not right’. She really needs a couple of days rest. You want to perform at the highest level and you have to do what’s right and take care of players.”