Emmanuel Fernandez admits he has been surprised by the impact of Rangers defensive partner Olwethu Makhanya.
The South Africa centre-back has been a revelation since his summer move from Philadelphia Union, quickly proving himself as one of the signings of the window and a key player for the team already.
He has partnered Fernandez, last season's find in that position, and the pair have a blossoming relationship on the pitch.
Makhanya has won a lot of praise for recent performances and his partner has added his voice to that.
“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," he told Footy-Africa.
“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."
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Key to Rangers' recent form has been the team spirit, which the 25-year-old revealed has improved from last season as they target the Premiership 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
