Manajan Rangers, Derek McInnes, ya tsaya tsayin daka wajen kare bek na tsakiya Emmanuel Fernandez, yana mai cewa dan kasa na Najeriya ya kasance ginshiki a cikin manyan wasannin ƙungiyarsa a wannan kakar.

Fernandez, ɗan shekara 25, ya sha suka mai ƙarfi bayan canjamarar 2-2 da Hearts a Tynecastle a Scottish Premiership ranar Laraba, inda aka zarge shi da kuskure da yawa masu tsada.

McInnes ya ƙi wannan ra'ayin, yana mai nuni da aikin ɗan wasan a nasarar da suka samu a kan St Johnstone makon da ya gabata. "Na kan samu tambayoyi game da Fernandez ne kawai idan ya yi wasa mara kyau," in ji manajan. "Babu wanda ya tambaye ni game da Fernandez ranar Asabar — ya yi wasa da kyau sosai a wannan rana."

McInnes ya kuma tabbatar cewa Fernandez bai kamata a zargi shi shi kaɗai ba don takaicin Tynecastle. "Abin da ya faru dare na jiya ba laifin Manny Fernandez ba ne, ya kasance aikin ƙungiya baki ɗaya," in ji shi. "Ba a taɓa tambayata game da Manny idan ya yi wasa da kyau ba, kuma ya kasance wani ɓangare mai muhimmanci na manyan wasanninmu a wannan kakar."

Hanya zuwa Hampden

Hankalin yanzu ya juya zuwa ƙarewa rabin na Scottish League Cup ranar Asabar a Hampden Park, inda Rangers za su yi hasken wuta da Aberdeen — kulob din da McInnes ya taɓa horar da shi tsawon shekara takwas.

Duk da halin da Aberdeen ke ciki na rashin nasara — sun sha kaye sau uku a wasanni huɗu na ƙarshe na gasar, har da shan kashi 1-0 a gida a hannun Falkirk ranar Laraba — McInnes ya ƙi ɗaukar wannan ƙwarewar da sauƙi. "Mutane na iya ganin mu a matsayin abin zaɓe kuma na fahimci haka, amma har yanzu muna da wasa da za mu lashe," in ji shi. "Aberdeen na iya yin babban wasan."

Manajan Rangers ya san nauyin cin kofin farko ga kulob. "Cin kofin farko zai kasance da muhimmanci ƙwarai, ƙarfafa kwarin gwiwa da imani," in ji shi. "A al'ada, wasannin rabin ƙarshe na iya kasancewa cike da damuwa da taɓin jini, kuma wani lokaci ba manyan wasanni ba ne saboda abin da ke tattare da su."

McInnes ya yi magana da ƙauna — da kuma tausayawa — game da manajan Aberdeen, Stephen Robinson, wanda ake kiransa Robbo, wanda ke fuskantar matsinsa nasa. "Suna da manajan da ya ƙware a Robbo da 'yan wasa masu gogewa waɗanda za su yi farin ciki da wannan dama," in ji shi.

"Ina tausayawa duk manajojin da ke jin wannan matsi. Na horar da Aberdeen tsawon shekara takwas kuma ba koyaushe kulob ne mai sauƙi a sarrafa ba, amma suna da mutumin kirki a can da zai daidaita komai idan aka ba shi lokaci — ban da wata shakka."

Da ya dogara kan kansa a wasannin rabin ƙarshe a filin wasa na ƙasa tare da St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, da Aberdeen, McInnes ya yarda cewa yanayin wasanni ba ya yin tasiri a wannan matakin. "Wasan rabin ƙarshe wasa ne na musamman — wani lokaci yanayin wasanni ba ya da tasiri," in ji shi. "Na tabbata Aberdeen za ta ji wannan kwarin gwiwar."