It has been far from smooth sailing for Emmanuel Fernandez at Rangers this season.

The Nigeria international has been criticised by fans on numerous occasions for mistakes he has made during crucial moments in games.

Rangers supporters have called on Fernandez to be dropped from the team as well, but the centre-back has continued to retain the support of Derek McInnes.

Emmanuel Fernandez has won the most duels in the Scottish Premiership this season

PFA Scotland shared the leaderboard of most duels won in the Scottish Premiership this season, and Fernandez is at the top of the list. With 90 duels won, no other player in Scotland’s top flight has been more successful at it than him.

This will undoubtedly have come as a surprise to most fans, as they have bemoaned the Nigerian’s quality in defence over the past few months. He has also been criticised for his positioning, but by the looks of it, he has been in the right place at the right time to keep the opposition at bay.

McInnes has backed him through the tough times this term, and he now has evidence to show for it. While previous managers may have taken the 24-year-old out of the firing line, the Gers boss has continued to start him week in and week out.

Is Fernandez turning a corner at Rangers?

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that Fernandez is improving in a settled and organised side. While he did make a number of mistakes at the start of the season, some of them were down to the squad not fully understanding what McInnes wanted from them.

Their shape in and out of possession was not ideal, and the flaws in the system were evident. However, now that things have steadied, players who struggled initially, including Dan Neil, are looking much better.

One may still suggest that Ben Godfrey would offer more to the team than Fernandez, but McInnes sees them both in training every day and is currently on a 12-game unbeaten run. While Godfrey has not done much wrong since joining Rangers, Olwethu Makhanya and Fernandez appear to be the manager’s centre-back pairing for this season.

While he still needs to improve, the Nigerian defender is showing signs of turning a corner at Ibrox this season.