Football - FA Premier League - Liverpool FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, April 27, 2025: Liverpool s L-R Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Ibrahima Konatà celebrate after winning the League Title after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 5-1. Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda LIVERPOOL Anfield MERSEYSIDE ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: Imago Images
Last season, Manny Fernandez and Youssef Chermiti were the towering figures bookending the Rangers lineup at either end of the pitch.
Neither could push the Ibrox side the extra inches needed to reach title-winning heights under previous boss Danny Rohl during the campaign.
A calamitous post-split collapse across the final five games of the season ultimately cost Rangers their shot at the Premiership crown.
Now it falls to new manager Derek McInnes to rebuild confidence in both players and demand significantly more from them this term.
Standing at 6ft 4ins, Fernandez is a commanding presence in aerial duels, yet the £2.5million signing from Peterborough was repeatedly cut down to size when it mattered most.
Chermiti, just an inch shorter than his defensive teammate, arrived carrying the weight of an £8.5million transfer fee from Everton and the expectations that came with it.
The Portuguese Under-21 forward showed flashes of genuine brilliance, including a sensational overhead kick against Celtic, finishing the season with 15 goals mostly scored after Christmas.
McInnes, however, wants far more than the spectacular moments, telling reporters it is the penalty box goals, the rebounds, and the scruffy finishes that will define Chermiti’s development.
“For Youssef, it’s just realising that leading the line at Rangers takes more than just scoring great goals,” McInnes said, underlining his expectations for the forward heading into the new season.
“We’ve got to try and get the scruffy goals, we’ve got to try and make it always relevant in the game and try and just get those little finer details that will take his game to another level,” he added.
McInnes was previously in the opposition dugout as Hearts manager during last season’s thrilling title race, giving him a close-up view of both players’ strengths and their costly lapses in concentration.
Neither Fernandez nor Chermiti had straightforward starts at Rangers, with the manager who signed them, Russell Martin, sacked after just seven disastrous league games.
Both gradually grew in confidence as they settled into life in Glasgow, but McInnes has been direct in his conversations with each player about what must improve.
“I’ve had good chats with Manny about what he needs to improve on,” McInnes said, noting that the defender himself acknowledged the areas requiring development without much prompting.
“Both of them are relatively young and they came with a lot of expectation on them with the price tag and the kind of profile,” the manager explained during his assessment of the pair.
“But the challenge for them – and for me to get out of them – is to try and beat their best more often and as good as often as they can be,” he continued.
McInnes is confident both players possess the quality to influence Rangers’ fortunes in a major way when they are performing at their ceiling.
The arrival of experienced forward Lawrence Shankland is expected to help Chermiti understand the finer details of leading the line effectively in a competitive title race.
“Lawrence is a bit more of a team player in the sense that he’s a link striker,” McInnes said, contrasting Shankland’s profile with that of other forwards currently at the club.
Both Fernandez and Chermiti could command significant transfer fees further down the line if they fulfil their potential under McInnes and fire Rangers back to Premiership glory this season.
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