By Alison Conroy and Gordon Duncan

Monday 9 November 2026 16:37, UK

"I always thought if I kept playing and kept performing it would come. Thankfully it has."

James Penrice is the first to admit he has made a "slow rise" in football after an "unbelievable" few months resulted in his first Scotland call-up at the age of 27.

He scored on his Rangers debut a day after joining on loan from AEK Athens, and has continued to be a key player for Derek McInnes' side.

"I knew coming back and obviously playing for Rangers there's always going to be a chance in the Scotland squad," he told Sky Sports News.

"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."

The Greek club paid £2m for the defender after an impressive season at Hearts. He went on to play 32 times as the side secured another national title.

Penrice's career started at Partick Thistle, with loan spells at East Fife and Livingston before a permanent move to the West Lothian club.

"It's kind of been a slow rise, don't get me wrong," he added.

"When we [Partick Thistle] dropped down to League One there was part of me that thought I was done.

"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.

"From then, I got my head down and then I went to Livingston and that was kind of the super bolt.

"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.

"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!"

Penrice might be a new face in the latest Scotland squad, but he will also be one of the older players.

He insists he is proof that you need to break into the international set-up in the early years of your career to be a success.

"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.

"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.

"Hard work and just really sticking at it and believing in yourself and you've always got a chance.

An extended stay at Ibrox?

The loan to Rangers includes an option to buy, with McInnes already stressing his desire to keep the defender on a permanent deal.

"I think the good thing for us is that you want all parties to be willing to try and make it happen," the Ibrox boss said.

"I want him, the club wants him and James wants to be here. From that starting point, hopefully we can get something agreed.

"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.

"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."

Scotland squad

Goalkeepers: Scott Bain (Falkirk), Angus Gunn (San Jose Earthquakes), Liam Kelly (Rangers), Jon McCracken (Bradford City)

Defenders: 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), Ryan Porteous (Los Angeles FC)

Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Josh McPake (Hearts), Kristi Montgomery (Blackburn Rovers), Scott McTominay (Napoli)

Forwards: Kieron Bowie (Sassuolo), Findlay Curtis (Rangers), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth), Oli McBurnie (Hull City), Robbie Ure (Sevilla), Che Adams (Torino)

Scotland vs North Macedonia - November 13, kick-off 7.45pm

Switzerland vs Scotland - November 16, kick-off 7.45pm