FIVE years ago he was in the seventh tier of English football playing for non-league Ramsgate.
Now, he’s first choice centre-back at Rangers being scouted by Bundesliga giants.
It’s been quite the rise for Emmanuel Fernandez.
But it hasn’t surprised his old club chief who reckons he will make the club MILLIONS in a sell-on fee.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when the Gers moved to sign the English League One defender for around £3.5 million from Peterborough last summer.
And while it’s taken him time to settle in Glasgow, Fernandez has now found his rhythm on the park.
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All it needed, according to Peterborough chief Darragh MacAnthony, was for somebody to be able to get a tune out of him to fulfil his potential.
In an interview with Sky Sports, he revealed two Serie A clubs enquired about Fernandez before Rangers came calling.
He said: “My fans – the geniuses last summer – were slaughtering me when I said that I was going to sell him for many millions.
“We knew going into last summer before Rangers came in we had offers from two Serie A clubs.
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“The world is now data-driven. I knew if you looked at his data at 24 as a centre-half, he stood out data wise to every club in the world.”
Fernandez played a bit part role at the start of the season for the Gers and it wasn’t until manager Danny Rohl came in that his opportunities and confidence started to grow.
Fernandez has also benefited from the addition of set piece coach Scott Fry who was signed in November.
He’s made 18 appearances for the Ibrox outfit this season with five goals.
But his real turn of form came in December where he has demonstrated his aerial prowess in the opposition box, with three goals in his last nine games.
MacAnthony added: “I knew if he went to Scotland he would score lots of goals because he’s a danger and a threat at a set piece.
“And if someone got a tune out of him with the talent he has got, he’d go again.
“I’m very happy to say we have got a nice sell-on and we’ll make millions more.
“I think he will go on again, we picked him up for £5k from the middle of nowhere.”
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