After an autumn camp full of fresh faces, including Pocognoli and much of his backroom team, the Belgian will greet another with the call-up of Penrice.
The left-back has excelled since joining Rangers on loan from AEK Athens in August, particularly in recent weeks, with Derek McInnes occasionally utilising the versatile 27-year-old in midfield.
“We have some missing players around the left side and, combined with his quality and what we are looking for on the pitch, it’s a logical choice,” Pocognoli said of Penrice’s inclusion.
“He can be very useful for the system we want to play, and I think he deserves it.”
There was more disappointment for Lennon Miller, though. Having returned to the squad following his World Cup exclusion, the Udinese midfielder has been dropped again.
Despite Pocognoli playing down the decision to leave out the 20-year-old as “not a big topic”, his international career remains a curious case.
After delivering a standout performance in his only start for Scotland, a 4-0 victory in Liechtenstein in June 2025, Miller was expected to follow an upward trajectory but has since played just three minutes for the national side.
Pocognoli suggests Miller is a victim of playing in the area of the team’s “most competitive” field and wants to deploy him in a more advanced midfield role.
“We’ve offered him the opportunity to play for the Under-21s, maybe in the position and shape from the first team,” the Scotland boss revealed. “For Udinese he plays as a number six. I want to see him higher on the pitch.
“Like with Findlay [Curtis], if he’s doing well with the Under-21s, for us it’s like a massive scouting report for the future because we can see him in his best position in the shape we want to see.”