For the second time this season, Arsenal defender William Saliba came up against the formidable attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar as Marseille were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in 'Le Classique' on Sunday night.
In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, it could be argued it was the biggest test of the Frenchman's young career to date and it's one that he passed with flying colours as his performance garnered a massive response from Gunners supporters on social media who claimed he pocketed the aforementioned trio and Angel di Maria.
Saliba's standout moment that night came in the closing stages when he somehow caught up to Mbappe - who had been put clean through on goal by Messi - to produce a wonderful recovering tackle to nudge the ball away from danger and ensure Marseille held PSG to a goalless draw.
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However, the 21-year-old wasn't so fortunate for round two against Messi, Mbappe and Neymar as Marseille's already faint hopes of winning the Ligue 1 title were extinguished as first-half goals from the latter pair gave PSG all three points and left them within touching distance of regaining the championship.
As for Saliba, he thought he had rescued a point for the visitors inside the final five minutes. Getting on the end of Dimitri Payet's free-kick to turn the ball home at the back post, the France international's celebrations were cut short as VAR correctly ruled his goal out for offside.
Overall, the centre-back didn't have a comfortable night at the Parc des Princes and that's reflected in his L'Equipe player rating of 5/10. Meanwhile, the website 90min gave Saliba the same rating and said he 'got swarmed by PSG's front three at times'. That's to be expected given the quality he was up against.
Although, what's for certain is that Saliba is certainly benefitting from first-team exposure this season and has done his chances of finally kick-starting his Arsenal career next term no harm. Despite saying he is very happy at Marseille amid talk of a permanent transfer this summer, football.london understands the plan has been to open preliminary talks regarding a new contract towards the end of his loan spell.
With that in mind, talks could commence imminently as there's just over a month until the season ends, so clarity over Saliba's future - whether or not he has one with the Gunners - should be clearer in the coming weeks.
Should the two parties reach an agreement over a contract extension, Saliba's chances of finally being integrated into the first-team picture at the Emirates Stadium will be made easier if Arsenal qualify for Europe next season as well as the likely departure of Pablo Mari this summer.
