Super Eagles news: Emmanuel Fernandez reveals what is driving Rangers’ title push

Super Eagles defender Emmanuel Fernandez has revealed the key factor that could help Rangers challenge for the Scottish Premiership title this season, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Light Blues have not won the Scottish Premiership since the 2020/21 season, with Celtic winning the last five consecutive titles, including last season.

Rangers pushed for the title for several weeks last season, but their challenge eventually faded towards the end of the campaign after a run of poor results and they eventually finished third behind champions Celtic and second-placed Hearts.

Fernandez was a key part of Rangers’ campaign last season, earning the club’s Player of the Season award and a place in the Scottish PFA Team of the Season.

However, the Light Blues have made a stronger start this season after some early struggles and currently have 16 points from their opening six games, leaving them just two points behind league leaders Celtic.

Emmanuel Fernandez: Super Eagles star on Rangers’ title challenge

Rangers are now pushing for the league title again and could benefit from having no European football to distract them from their domestic campaign. Fernandez believes the strong togetherness within the squad can play an important role as they aim to challenge Celtic for the title.

“I feel like this year the mood is very uplifting, I feel like there’s a lot of togetherness within the team”, Fernandez explained, via Footy-Africa.

“Obviously our goal is to win the league title, but we take it game by game. We just focus on winning every game that’s ahead of us, and we’ll see where that gets us towards the end of the season.”

Fernandez has endured a difficult start to the season, facing criticism over some of his performances, but the Super Eagles defender believes he can return to the level he showed last season.

The defender also admitted that consistency will be important, not only for him but for the entire Rangers squad, if they are to maintain their title challenge.

“Consistency is something we need to do, and that’s something I probably need to do within my game as well—be focused, concentrated every game”, he added.

“As a footballer, sometimes you might not have the best of games all the time. But as long as you keep your mistakes minimal and you work as hard as possible, I think that’s the best thing you can do for the fans and the club. There’s a lot of demand at the club, and I feel like with this demand is where players show how good they are.”

Makhanya partnership could be key

Fernandez has also formed a new defensive partnership with South African youngster Olwethu Makhanya this season and has been impressed by what he has seen from his new teammate.

The Super Eagles defender admitted that Makhanya surprised him with how quickly he has adapted since arriving at Rangers.

“He’s a very good player, South African boy. To be fair, I was surprised from when he came in. I didn’t expect him to be as good as he is, but he’s a top player.

“There’s even still more to come from him, there’s still more understanding to come from him, because the game’s a bit different in Scotland, but he’s very good”, the Super Eagles defender concluded.

Fernandez will now turn his attention to international duty with the Super Eagles as Nigeria face Guinea-Bissau in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier later today.

The Rangers defender was an unused substitute during Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Madagascar in their opening qualifier but will be hoping to return to the starting line-up and play a part against Guinea-Bissau.