How Fernandez rise makes him a Rangers role model
Emmanuel Fernandez scored on his first start for Nigeria [Getty Images] Danny Rohl says Emmanuel Fernandez is a "role model" for Rangers' player development strategy after the defender's progress from Ibrox fringe player to Nigeria international. The 24-year-old was plucked from England's third tier when he moved from Peterborough to Rangers last summer on a four-year deal. He started just one Premiership game between August and November amid a difficult start to his Ibrox career, but has since flourished, becoming a regular under Rohl.
Fernandez, who has six goals in 27 Rangers appearances, made his Nigeria debut in a victory over Iran last week then scored in his first international start, the 2-2 draw with Jordan. "Football is about development," Rangers head coach Rohl said of Fernandez. "It's about belief.
I think it was not easy for him when I arrived. He was, I will not say far away, but he was not in a position to be a starter. And then there was a little bit of an issue with timing when he got injuries and then he stepped up.
"In general now he puts in a great performance, week by week. There's still things to improve but when you look at it, you sign a player from League One and he goes on to the national team and he scores. "It's important for us to win something, but besides the results it's also a great way to show players what you can do at Rangers, we want to develop players.
"It's not a secret that part of our business is to create value for the club. I think when you see now how we create the value for money, then he's a little bit of a role model. "Now it's about playing consistently at this level, not dropping back.