Cyriel Dessers Praises Emmanuel Fernandez After Rangers Player of the Season Earns Super Eagles Call-Up

Emmanuel Fernandez’s rapid rise from a difficult debut period at Ibrox to Super Eagles international has drawn praise from a familiar face — former Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers, who witnessed the centre-back’s early struggles firsthand before his departure from the club in 2025.

Speaking in an interview with Rangers Review, Dessers reflected on Fernandez’s initial adjustment to life in Glasgow and recalled how the squad rallied around the defender during a challenging start. “He had a difficult start, but now he’s showing his quality. Like I said, we all saw it from the first day he walked into the club,” Dessers said.

The Nigerian forward, who spent two years at Rangers before leaving in 2025, acknowledged that the weight of expectation at Ibrox can overwhelm even quality players. “For sure, but we also had to tell him that things at Rangers don’t always come easy even if you’re a good player. Now, you can see he took that, made incredible progress, and now he’s a Nigeria International as well, and that’s nice to see,” Dessers added. “In terms of quality, there’s a good base in the current Rangers squad. We could all see his quality when he started training with us.”

Fernandez arrived at Rangers from Peterborough United in the summer of 2025 for a reported £3.5 million fee. The 24-year-old centre-back endured an unsettled start to life in the Scottish Premiership but ultimately delivered one of the standout individual campaigns in the division, finishing the 2025/26 season as Rangers Men’s Player of the Year and earning the sole Rangers berth in the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year.

Beyond his defensive contributions, Fernandez registered six goals in 28 appearances across all competitions — a notable output for a centre-back in his debut season at the club. His commanding performances at the back cemented his place as a key figure in the Rangers defensive structure throughout the campaign.

His club form did not go unnoticed at international level. Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle handed Fernandez a maiden call-up to the Nigeria squad, and the defender made an immediate impact. He featured in a 2-1 friendly victory over Iran before going on to score his first international goal on his first start, during a 2-2 draw with Jordan.

Fernandez’s arrival in the Super Eagles setup adds further depth to Nigeria’s defensive options as Chelle continues to assess his squad ahead of upcoming international fixtures. The centre-back’s ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch — demonstrated by his six-goal return at club level — offers the national team an additional dimension from set pieces and open play.

For Dessers, now watching his former club from a distance, Fernandez’s trajectory serves as a reminder of the character required to succeed at Rangers. The striker’s account underlines how the defender’s willingness to absorb early criticism and respond through sustained performance proved decisive in transforming what began as a difficult chapter into a historic individual season.