Derek McInnes has moved to protect Emmanuel Fernandez ahead of Saturday's Scottish League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, after criticism aimed at the Rangers defender. The 25-year-old Nigeria international came under fire after Wednesday's draw, but McInnes insisted the story should not stop with one player.
McInnes' case for Fernandez
Speaking to BBC Sport, McInnes said: "I only get asked about Fernandez when he has a poor game. Nobody asked me about Fernandez on Saturday, he was outstanding on Saturday [against St Johnstone]."
He added: "Last night wasn't on Manny Fernandez, last night was a collective." That was the point he kept coming back to as he argued that Fernandez has been part of the better Rangers performances this season.
McInnes also said: "I never get asked about Manny when he does really well and he's been a big part of our better performances this season." Fernandez has already made 11 Premiership appearances, and his season-long rating of 7.18 suggests Wednesday was not a fair reflection of his wider run.
Rangers need more than a name on the teamsheet
The other part of McInnes' message was about the semi-final itself. He said: "People might view us as favourites for it and I understand that but we've' still got a game to win and Aberdeen are capable of a big performance."
He also stressed: "I'm just concentrating on us, if we get to our levels then hopefully it's going to be enough to win the game but a strong 90-minute performance is going to be required, I feel."
Rangers will go into Rangers vs Aberdeen with that expectation on them, and McInnes is right to keep the focus there. Saturday is not about whether Fernandez can escape criticism after one shaky night, it is about whether Rangers can turn a decent season's start into a place in the final.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
