Injuries to John Souttar and Derek Cornelius has hoisted the English central defender into the starting lineup for the first time since joining the club in the summer.
Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow's Scottish Premiership clash against Jim Goodwin's side at Tannadice, he said of his qualities: "I can feel it, and I know the pressure, but I like pressure. It's the reason I wanted to play football growing up.
"I was expecting what I came into. There has been nothing that has surprised me.
"I knew there was going to be pressure here, and people want us to win every game, so there's nothing more that we can do besides winning every week.
"The main thing is to stay focused during the game. As long as you stay focused and believe in what the manager wants us to do, then hopefully we'll come out on the winning end.
"How much have I enjoyed my run in the team? It's been good. It's been something I've been waiting for and wanted to do for a while now.
"I just need to keep my rhythm, stay focused and keep going."
Reflecting on his footballing journey, which has been underpinned by grit and determination, Fernandez continued: "Playing in the Europa League last week was amazing because a few years ago I started off in college.
"I signed for Gillingham, played there for two years, then didn't have a club due to Covid.
"My older brother used to take me to the park and make me run. I would say he's my biggest inspiration.
"Even if I've had a game where I thought I've been good, he'll say that I've not been good enough! He wants me to get better and better.
"He's came up [to Glasgow] from time to time. It's a bit of a distance from London, but he does come up."
Fernandez has been joined at the heart of the defence by on-loan Wolves man Nasser Djiga, a year his junior.
Being the elder statesman in the backline is nothing new to Fernandez, who is continuing to draw on his experience from playing in England.
He added: "We haven't played together much. It was the first time against Livingston, so it's just about building and building.
"We need to keep talking to each other, and from there we're only going to get better. We'll watch clips before and after every game to see where we can do better.
"I'm not afraid to take on that role and communicate with my teammates. I enjoy it, and it's what I see myself becoming."
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