It was only 25 minutes. But it was enough. Gomes looked like he belonged on that stage. A substitute midway through the second-half of England's Nations League win in Ireland, the Lille midfielder fitted seamlessly into Lee Carsley's system, quickly tuning into the snappy, attacking approach England's caretaker manager was demanding. He was bright with his running. Creative, aggressive, with his passing. Gomes, on the day, looked every bit an England player. Again, congratulations to Lille and those Portuguese influences.
It's almost 40 years since David Platt was given the boot by Ron Atkinson at Manchester United. A career that began - and stumbled - at The Cliff training ground, but would eventually lead Platt to Juventus, Sampdoria, Arsenal and World Cup heroics in Italy.
And for Platt, a similar story echoes for Gomes. Though, of course, he wasn't pushed out as Platt was. But Gomes couldn't see a future for himself at United. Breaking Duncan Edwards' record as United's youngest debutant at 16, Gomes would leave for Lille three years later with just the four more appearances. United wanted to keep him, sure, but opportunities were scarce. And it took little for Luis Campos to convince Gomes about Lille's plans for him.
"I was looking for more playing time," Gomes recalled earlier this year, "more regularity and a project for my future. I went to LOSC who offered me a good structure, a good project."
At United, it was his Portuguese manager, Jose Mourinho, who handed Gomes that record-breaking debut. With LOSC, their Portuguese sporting director, Campos, had his career all mapped out. A year back amongst his extended family in Portugal with Boavista would be Gomes' first chance of consistent first team football. A year later and it would be another Portuguese, Paulo Fonseca, who would give the midfield schemer his opportunity with LOSC.
Campos and Fonseca knew what they had. They'd known it for years. Gomes was London-born and Salford-raised. But his roots were Portuguese. Father Gil, a former U21 international. United's Champions League winger Luis Nani a family friend - and godfather to Angel. There was an intelligence; a sophistication; to Campos' approach in bringing through Gomes. Something the player had failed to experience at Carrington. And in such a supportive environment, the midfielder - now just turned 24 - has thrived.
"Angel (Gomes) is a player that I like a lot," stated Fonseca last season before his eventual departure for AC Milan, "very intelligent and technically strong enough to play in different positions. He manages to perform in all positions, and with any of his teammates. He has no difficulties. He is a decisive player for us, who is very important in the team."
This is no knock on the current work inside United's academy. Nor of recent years. Things have changed for the better - and dramatically. Recruitment has improved. Player and loan management too. And for this column, there is a belief that Gomes' departure four years ago was at the final stages of United's need to overhaul the approach and attitude towards their academy. As we've highlighted in the past, those dark days of mis-managing loans - as what occurred with James Wilson and Adnan Januzaj - in favour of finance over development, appear over.
But there's still the outliers. Ethan Wheatley. Harry Amass. Toby Collyer. There's a real buzz around these youngsters. Chido Obi-Martin from Arsenal. The Malian teen, Sekou Kone, so outstanding at the U17 World Cup. Both players now due to have their contracts rubberstamped.
However, United did also see Shola Shoretire slip the net. Like Gomes before him, Shoretire was offered terms by United. But could not see a path to regular first team football for himself. And three games into the season, the 20 year-old is already up and running at PAOK, as they sit top of the table with Panathinaikos following the opening three rounds.
Another Gomes? Another Platt? For this column, the potential in Shoretire is there. For all the improvements made over these past four years, Shoretire is one - like Gomes - capable of highlighting the failings inside the academy system at Carrington.
By rights, Angel Gomes should be now establishing himself as the main pass-master at United. Successfully succeeding Christian Eriksen in midfield. And he should have been winning his first cap in Dublin as a United player.
But it took a move to France and the support and sophistication of Portuguese football to bring the best out of United's record-breaker. Congratulations to Lille. And congratulations to Luis Campos. You really have shown United how it's done...