Super Eagles defender Fernandez reacts after facing Dessers-like criticism at Rangers

Super Eagles defender Emmanuel Fernandez has admitted he needs to improve after coming under criticism at Rangers, with the Nigerian facing a level of scrutiny reminiscent of what former Ibrox striker Cyriel Dessers endured, Soccernet.ng reports.

Fernandez enjoyed an outstanding first season at Rangers, winning the club's Player of the Season award and earning a place in the Scottish PFA Team of the Year.

However, his start to the 2026/27 campaign has been far less convincing, with mistakes and lapses in concentration leaving him under pressure from supporters and pundits.

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The 25-year-old has now revealed that he is not allowing the criticism to distract him, insisting that his priority is improving his performances and meeting the demands of playing for Rangers.

“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,” Fernandez told The Scottish Sun.

“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.”

Fernandez's comments come after a difficult opening to the campaign in which he was criticised following Rangers' European defeats to Jagiellonia Białystok and Jablonec, as well as his performance against St Mirren.

Fernandez admits Rangers' small mistakes are costing them

Rather than dismissing the criticism, Fernandez accepted that some of the concerns surrounding his performances are legitimate.

The ex-Peterborough defender believes concentration in key moments is an area he and his teammates must improve, particularly because small errors can quickly become costly at the back.

“But I’m still growing as a player, and it’s something I know I will improve on eventually. I just focus on the demands of the club and myself as well.”

“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.”

💭 “We know we can create chances, and we are keeping goals out of our net too.”

🎙️ Emmanuel Fernandez believes Rangers can take confidence from securing another three points with the 1-0 win over Motherwell.

🔗 https://t.co/upWhJ2mV3I pic.twitter.com/lYh3TKcV2e

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 5, 2026

For Fernandez, the solution is straightforward: Rangers have to reduce the number of opportunities they give opponents.

“It’s about limiting opportunities for teams to have attacks against us. That’s the main thing we talk about,” he said.

The comments are significant because Fernandez has already been publicly challenged by manager Derek McInnes this season.

After his difficult start, McInnes called for greater “focus and concentration and application”, while reminding his players that they have to work harder to reach their best level.

Fernandez experiencing the Cyriel Dessers treatment at Rangers

The scrutiny around Fernandez bears similarities to the treatment Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers received during his time at Ibrox.

Dessers was frequently criticised by Rangers supporters despite producing strong numbers, with his missed chances and inconsistent performances often becoming bigger talking points than his goals.

Former Rangers assistant coach Neil McCann acknowledged that the striker would always divide opinion because he tended to miss easy chances while scoring the difficult ones.

“Cyriel Dessers will always divide opinion because he will miss chances, but this is the life of a striker,” McCann said.

But McCann also stressed that Dessers' persistence was one of his biggest strengths.

“I was so proud of him after the game (against Dundee) because he didn’t stop pushing and making runs – we need to create chances for him and that is what we are doing.”

Dessers eventually scored over 50 goals for Rangers, but the criticism did not disappear.

When the striker scored that landmark goal against Dundee United in May 2025, then-Rangers manager Barry Ferguson felt he had been treated unfairly.

“He comes in for unfair criticism, in my opinion,” Ferguson said.

“One thing about him is he always gives 100 percent and his goal return this season has been phenomenal.”

Former Rangers manager Philippe Clement was even more emphatic when discussing the treatment the now Panathinaikos forward received from supporters.

“I think Cyriel gets abused like nobody else in the club, or on the pitch at least,” Clement said.

Clement believed the criticism was partly a consequence of Rangers' inability to win the league, arguing that Dessers would have been viewed differently if the team had delivered silverware.

“But if you don’t win the league then you are not a good player anymore. That’s life at Rangers,” Clement said.

Emmanuel Fernandez wants to change the narrative

There is an important difference between Fernandez and Dessers, however. While the striker's critics focused heavily on his finishing and missed chances, Fernandez's current scrutiny has centred on defensive errors, concentration and decision-making.

The Nigerian has also not attempted to hide from those shortcomings. Instead, his response has been to acknowledge that he can do better and concentrate on correcting the problems.

That approach is important as Rangers attempt to recover from their poor start. The Scottish giants have won three consecutive league matches, and Fernandez and Olwethu Makhanya have helped produce two clean sheets in those games.

Fernandez believes the improvement goes beyond results and that the squad is becoming more united under McInnes.

“I feel like the togetherness is getting better,” he said.

“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.”

Rangers' failure to qualify for the Conference League was a major setback, but Fernandez insists the season is far from over.

“Look, obviously we had a bad start not being in Europe. It was difficult.

“The manager spoke to us and showed us that there’s 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,” the three-cap Super Eagles defender concluded.

For now, Fernandez's response to the criticism must happen on the pitch, and if he can rediscover the form that made him Rangers' Player of the Year last season, he may follow the other side of the Dessers' story, proving that the initial criticism wasn't justified.