As the rain poured from the Parisian night sky, the mercurial Kylian Mbappe glided effortlessly across the sodden turf. Everywhere he turned, Declan Rice followed marking him. As briefs go, there aren’t many more difficult ones in world football than keeping tabs on the PSG superstar, but Rice coped well for the most part.

It was a thankless task, yet scratch beneath the surface and the composure Rice showed against a star-studded French side certainly offered hope of a bright future. Amidst the wave after wave of French attacks, Rice’s strength on the ball was a real positive as it brought some rare respite.

The debate around the 19-year-old’s best position will rumble on for a while yet, but as Roy Keane put it last week – just let the kid play.

“Let him learn his trade, we’re glad to have him on board,” the assistant manager said.

“Hopefully he will be a big player for Ireland for the next 10 to 15 years and not for the next 10 days.”