Following a sensational stretch of form in Glasgow, 27-year-old fullback James Penrice has earned a maiden international selection under national team head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. The left-sided back, currently on a temp-to-perm transfer agreement at Ibrox from Greek outfit AEK Athens, quickly found the net during his initial outing for manager Derek McInnes. Expressing a strong desire to seal a long-term commitment, the Ibrox boss praised the player’s enthusiasm, noting, “I think the good thing for us is that you want all parties to be willing to try and make it happen.” McInnes further elaborated on negotiations by stating, “I want him, the club wants him and James wants to be here. From that starting point, hopefully we can get something agreed.”
Reinforcing his evaluation of the newcomer, McInnes remarked, “When and how that can be delivered, I don’t know yet. We’ve still got work to do and I’ll leave that to the people upstairs. But, James has made it clear how keen he is to stay.” The gaffer added, “Bringing him here was important for me. He plays with hunger, he’s desperate to be a successful Rangers player and I think he shows that in his performances.” Penrice’s path to top-tier football involved early years with Partick Thistle alongside temporary stints at East Fife and Livingston prior to securing a permanent deal in West Lothian. Recalling his lower-league uncertainty, the footballer admitted, “It’s kind of been a slow rise, don’t get me wrong,” while adding, “When we [Partick Thistle] dropped down to League One there was part of me that thought I was done.”
Reflecting on those early career hardships, he noted, “I’d been part-time and, especially when Covid hit, I was looking at courses and stuff like that and trying to think about life after football.” He managed to revive his fortunes in West Lothian, explaining, “From then, I got my head down and then I went to Livingston and that was kind of the super bolt.” He credited the manager for giving him momentum, revealing, “Davey Martindale [the Livi manager] said that it was kind of the last chance I had for full-time football and I grasped it there.” Following an impressive single campaign with Hearts, AEK Athens purchased him for £2m, where he featured 32 times and captured a national title before returning to Scottish football.
Describing his erratic footballing trajectory, the backliner commented, “The move to Hearts was a good personal season for me. Then obviously I moved to Greece, so it’s been a bit mental from where I was at 20. It makes it more interesting, doesn’t it!” Addressing his non-traditional rise to international football, Penrice remarked, “I think you see nowadays that there’s 17, 18-year-olds winning World Cups, and I think boys when they get to 21 or 22 they think their career’s done.” He shared his perspective on breaking into the senior squad later in life: “I was in League One at 23, so it’s all about putting your head down and hard work. Don’t get me wrong you need luck, you can create your own luck.” He concluded, “Hard work and just really sticking at it and believing in yourself and you’ve always got a chance.”
The newly selected internationalist confessed, “I always thought if I kept playing and kept performing it would come. Thankfully it has.” Discussing his strategic choice to return to domestic competition, he told Sky Sports News, “I knew coming back and obviously playing for Rangers there’s always going to be a chance in the Scotland squad,” while adding, “It was one of my decisions to come back to try and push. Ultimately, I came back to play for Rangers but it’s an added bonus to manage to get the call-up as well. It’s been unbelievable since I came back.” Scotland host North Macedonia on November 13 with a 7.45pm kick-off, before visiting Switzerland three days later on November 16 for their concluding Nations League match at 7.45pm.
Pocognoli’s latest squad selection features goalkeepers Scott Bain (Falkirk), Angus Gunn (San Jose Earthquakes), Liam Kelly (Rangers), and Jon McCracken (Bradford City). The defensive line features Luis Binks (Brondby), James Penrice (Rangers), Luke Graham (Stoke City), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Nathan Patterson (Torino), Andy Robertson (Tottenham), Kieran Tierney (Celtic), and Ryan Porteous (Los Angeles FC). Midfield options comprise Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Josh McPake (Hearts), Kristi Montgomery (Blackburn Rovers), and Scott McTominay (Napoli). The attacking department is rounded out by Kieron Bowie (Sassuolo), Findlay Curtis (Rangers), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth), Oli McBurnie (Hull City), Robbie Ure (Sevilla), and Che Adams (Torino).
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