Fernandez brushes off criticism

Super Eagles and Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez has reacted to criticism about his play after a rough start to the 2026-27 season. He says he does not pay attention to what people say about him, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The centre-back joined Rangers from Peterborough United last summer. He had a great first season, helping Rangers compete for the title. They finished behind Celtic and Hearts. His strong performances earned him the club’s Men’s Player of The Season award. He was also the only Ranger in the PFA Scotland Team of The Season.

This season has been different. Fernandez has had a hard time reaching that level again. He faced criticism after Rangers’ poor Europa League qualifying campaign. They were eliminated and missed out on European football for the first time since 2017.

Before Rangers’ match against St Mirren, Fernandez said he is focused on improving himself. He does not want to dwell on what others think.

“I don’t really look into what is said about me. I just try to focus on myself and try to improve to be better.”

“Every day I want to be better, and I know when something I’ve done is bad, and I know that I need to improve on it. But I’m still growing as a player, and it’s something I know I will improve on eventually,” the Nigerian defender said, according to The Scottish Sun.

“Maybe it’s just concentration in moments. Like, if we do have a chat, it’s concentration in moments and the small things. Sometimes they’re the ones that could cause a goal to come against us, or an attack to come against us. It’s about limiting opportunities for teams to have attacks against us. That’s the main thing we talk about.”

Rangers have won three games in a row. They are slowly bouncing back from their slow start. Fernandez mentioned that the team spirit has improved, even with the disappointment of missing European football.

“I feel like the togetherness is getting better. And I feel like, as a team, maybe our performances haven’t been better from the Aberdeen game, but we’ve grown as a team. We’re growing, and I still think there’s more to come.”

“Look, obviously we had a bad start not being in Europe. It was difficult. The manager spoke to us and showed us that there are still three trophies that are available to win. We have a domestic charge that we can still push for and be confident, where we have the possibility of doing something great,” he said.

Fernandez will look to keep his recent form going when Rangers face St Mirren. They hope to make it four wins in a row.