Fernandinho delivered a Man of the Match display in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Everton to seal a place in the semi-finals in the FA Cup, leading to high praise from Pep Guardiola.
The 35-year-old started in midfield ahead of Rodri and didn’t disappoint, making four tackles, creating one chance, making three clearances, having four successful dribbles, winning two freekicks and completing 86.3% of his 73 passes (WhoScored).
Guardiola said of Fernandinho’s performance: “(It was) Another exceptional performance. He is composed. He knows what he has to do – on and off the pitch. In our last game against Borussia Monchengladbach, the minutes he played were outstanding.”
The Brazilian international has made 26 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal and supplying two assists. Despite his advancing age and being in the last year of his career, Fernandinho still has a role to play for City.
He allows Rodri to be rested and doesn’t disappoint in his absence, so he’ll be a hard player to replace. City have been linked with Ismael Bennacer, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Mahmoud Dahoud and Douglas Luiz, but it remains to be seen who will be brought in to fill his shoes.
There’s no guarantee Fernandinho will be released in the coming months if the club still believe he has value, so time will tell what happens.
In other news, some fans say ‘brilliant’ Man City man is a ‘fantastic football player’