---
title: "Total Duds: Fernando just wasn’t up to scratch for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/total-duds-fernando-pep-guardiola-man-city/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Features"
published: "2020-06-20T16:00:22Z"
modified: "2020-06-20T16:00:22Z"
---

# Total Duds: Fernando just wasn’t up to scratch for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

**This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.**

La Liga returned earlier this month with a local derby between Sevilla and Real Betis, which the former won 2-0, and the identity of the [scorer of their second goal that night](https://www.skysports.com/football/sevilla-vs-real-betis/report/415911) may have raised a few eyebrows among Manchester City supporters. The man who put the seal on Sevilla’s victory was a 32-year-old midfielder known as Fernando.

Six years ago, the Brazilian arrived at the Etihad Stadium in a [£12m deal](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/28029224) from Porto, with Manuel Pellegrini adding him to a midfield which [also included Fernandinho](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city/startseite/verein/281/saison_id/2014) and potentially sparking much confusion among supporters and commentators alike.

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While the man with the longer name [remains an integral figure at the Etihad](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernandinho/leistungsdaten/spieler/26267), his shorter-christened midfield compatriot did not make his presence felt in the same way in a Manchester City shirt. He was by no means a forgotten man under Pellegrini, playing [49 Premier League games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernando/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/51174) in his first two seasons in England, but he managed a meagre return of [four goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernando/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/51174) in those outings. Indeed, they would be his only [four goals in 102 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernando/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/51174/verein/281) in total for the club.

With Manchester City on the verge of reaching a first-ever Champions League final in 2016, Fernando was the player who ultimately nixed those hopes with his [fateful own goal](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/04/real-madrid-1-manchester-city-0-agg-1-0-fernando-own-goal-ends-m/) in a dour semi-final against Real Madrid, who won 1-0 on aggregate. Four years on, that remains the [furthest that the English club have gone](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city/pokalhistorie/verein/281) in the competition.

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Pep Guardiola replaced Pellegrini that summer and it didn’t take him long to decide that the Brazilian midfielder was not for him. Fernando [started only five league matches](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernando/leistungsdatentrainer/spieler/51174/plus/0/saison/2016/verein/281/trainer_id/5672) under the Spaniard, whose obsession with [ball retention and a passing game](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2234051-pep-guardiola-calls-tiki-taka-rubbish-admits-that-he-loathes-all-the-passing) ultimately counted against the midfielder. Fernando averaged only [24.9 passes per game](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/31958/History/Fernando) under Guardiola, while his [88.5% passing accuracy rate](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/31958/History/Fernando) that season was inferior to fellow midfielders Ilkay Gundogan ([91.9%](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/167/Archive/England-Manchester-City?stageId=13796)), Samir Nasri ([90.9%](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/167/Archive/England-Manchester-City?stageId=13796)) and Yaya Toure ([89.8%](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/167/Archive/England-Manchester-City?stageId=13796)).

In August 2017, Guardiola sanctioned the sale of Fernando to Galatasaray for just £5.4m (as per [TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernando/transfers/spieler/51174)), bringing an end to the midfielder’s ultimately undistingushed three-year spell at the Etihad. In the end, the Brazilian just couldn’t meet the lofty standards [demanded by the current Manchester City manager](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fernando-navas-nolito-lopes-city-17081251).

***Man City fans, did you feel short-changed by Fernando’s contribution in his time at the Etihad? Comment below with your views!***