Derek McInnes reveals two Rangers stars he'd like 'longer term' as future plans outlined for internationalists

Rangers boss Derek McInnes revealed he’d like to keep defender James Penrice and winger Findlay Curtis for ‘longer term’ if possible.

Penrice, 27, was signed on loan from AEK Athens in the summer and has been a star performer in McInnes’ side since. The left back caught the eye of Scotland boss Sebastian Pocognoli in recent weeks and has been rewarded with his first ever Scotland call-up. He’ll join Curtis, 20, in the squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Macedonia and Switzerland.

Speaking ahead of Rangers’ weekend trip to St Mirren, McInnes isn’t surprised the pair have received international recognition and he hopes both will have a long-term future at Ibrox. However, with Penrice set to return to his parent club at the end of the season, the Light Blues boss explained their plans to make his short term deal permanent.

McInnes hopeful to sign Penrice permanently

When asked his thoughts on extending Penrice’s deal, McInnes responded: “Ideally, I would like to have done it as a permanent, but the best way forward at the time was a loan. But I think we're all aware of what it needs to be to make it a permanent. But I think there's a lot of goodwill all round to try and that could be something that we'd like to do.

The former Hearts man is a key component of McInnes’ tactical plans given his ability to play at left fullback as well as in midfield. Slowly becoming an Ibrox fan favourite, the gaffer was keen to mention that he has complete faith in Penrice as a player.

He continued: “The conversations I've had with Jim and the board has been along those lines and hopefully we can make that permanent. He's a player that I trust and I think the supporters trust him. So hopefully we can make it a longer-term thing going forward. But that's for the people upstairs to try and sort out.”

Manager keen to extend future of Curtis

Meanwhile, Curtis is on a permanent deal in Govan, however his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. The winger enjoyed a successful loan spell at Kilmarnock last season and has also played a key role for Rangers this campaign - often deployed from the bench to help see games out or chase a goal. McInnes claims he’s another player they’d like to keep for longer.

He added: “Findlay has contributed really well for us, really strongly. And he is a good trainer. He's a brilliant kid. He knows how much we want him to be here longer term. The club have made that clear to him as well. And Findlay's telling me that he wants to be here. He wants to win trophies here. This is his club. So he, I mean, he can speak for himself, but he knows what we think about him.”