Super Eagles defender Emmanuel Fernandez has seen his name go up in lights at Ibrox again after former Rangers striker Kris Boyd highlighted where the Nigerian must improve.
The 25-year-old has been a starter for the Gers this season despite some inconsistent displays, with the centre-back featuring in all seven of the club’s SPFL matches this season.
However, his latest outing provided another example of the issue troubling the defender. Fernandez started Nigeria’s 3-3 draw against Russia on Tuesday and played all 90 minutes, but he was dispossessed deep inside his own half before Lechi Sadulaev scored Russia’s equaliser to make it 1-1.
The Rangers defender later redeemed himself by initiating the counter-attack that produced Nigeria’s stoppage-time equaliser through Akor Adams.
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Boyd warns Emmanuel Fernandez still has mistakes in his game
Boyd believes Fernandez’s tendency to make costly mistakes remains a concern despite his importance to Rangers.
Speaking on The Warm-Up, the former 43-year-old was asked about the Nigerian defender’s performances and didn’t hold back when giving his opinion.
“Fernandez has still got a mistake in him,” Boyd said, with former Celtic striker Chris Sutton agreeing with him.
The criticism comes despite Fernandez becoming a first-choice defender alongside Olwethu Makhanya, particularly with Ben Godfrey currently unavailable through injury.
Fernandez has also been more consistent over Rangers’ last few matches, meaning Boyd’s criticism is more about eliminating lapses from his game than questioning his overall ability.
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The Nigerian made 27 Premiership appearances and scored five goals in his first campaign at Ibrox, while Rangers supporters voted him their Men’s Player of the Year.
He has also earned praise from former Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot, who recently described him as an “unbelievable player” and highlighted his athleticism, ability on the ball, aerial strength and confidence.
Fernandez has identified the problem
Interestingly, the former Peterborough defender acknowledged earlier this season that concentration during key moments was something he needed to improve.
“Maybe it’s just concentration in moments,” the Rangers defender said last month.
“Sometimes they’re the ones that could cause a goal to come against us, or an attack to come against us.”
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Fernandez added that Rangers were focused on limiting opportunities for teams to have chances against them.
His error against Russia makes Boyd’s assessment relevant, and also true. For a defender who has been tipped to make a Premier League move by national teammate Ola Aina, he must avoid making such mistakes.
Fernandez played against Russia after he was on the bench during the Super Eagles’ AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
His performance at Nizhny Novgorod showed both sides of his game, a costly lapse followed by an important contribution at the other end.
The challenge now is for Fernandez to ensure the mistakes become rare without losing the confidence and composure to impact things at the attacking side of the pitch.
