Fernando has come to Yaya Toure's defence by saying that the much-criticised Manchester City player is still one of the top midfielders in the world.
The Ivorian has been tipped to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer and has been faulted by pundits for his performances this season.
Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk said the 31-year-old has been made a scapegoat for City's troubles this season while the former Barcelona player said he loves playing for the Premier League champions.
And fellow midfielder Fernando believes that even in the latter years of his career, Toure can still make a huge contribution and bracketed him with the finest footballers on the planet.
"Yaya for me is one of the best players in his position in the world," he said. "We see it every day and even though he is a little older now, he still has a lot to offer to this team. I am sure he will continue to do that for us -- it makes me happy to play with him."
Fernando partnered Toure in the centre of midfield in City's 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday when Eliaquim Mangala also enjoyed a fine game in defence.
The centre-back has rarely hit top form since becoming the most expensive defender in the history of English football by joining from Porto in August.
But Fernando, who was a team-mate of the Frenchman's in Portugal, feels he is starting to show what he can do.
"It's always hard when you change teams to adapt to a new style of football, but we are now seeing the real Mangala -- and you will see his performances get better and better, and he will help the team more and more," he added.