Rangers legend shares trophy-laden tale of triumph over adversity that Ianis Hagi can copy

If there's anyone who can sympathise with what Ianis Hagi is going through as he battles to resurrect his Rangers career, it’s Ian Durrant.

At the age of just 21, the then Ibrox kid had the world at his feet. The year was 1988 and a time when Scottish players rarely ventured any further than the white cliffs of Dover when looking to further their careers.

But such was the prodigious Rangers midfield playmaker’s obvious ability, he had clubs from across Europe tracking his development. Any plans this generational talent had for the future, however, were wiped out in one brutal Pittodrie flashpoint as a wild challenge from Aberdeen’s Neil Simpson wrecked his knee, putting him out of action for almost three years.

When he did finally return, Durrant himself admits he was never quite the same player.

But that didn’t stop him going on to make a worthwhile contribution to the Ibrox cause, eventually leaving Gers a decade later with 13 major medals and his status as a nine-in-a-row hero secured. And it’s that lesson Durrant wants Hagi to bare in mind as he finally looks to get his own Gers career back up and running.

The 26-year-old suffered a similarly devastating knee injury back in January 2022. A 12-month lay-off was followed by a stint to Spain on loan before he was recalled to Ibrox over the summer. It’s only now, though, that he can look to make a mark on Philippe Clement’s team having had his reintroduction to the Gers fold delayed by a contract row, Euro ineligibility and suspension.

But Durrant certainly isn’t writing Hagi off yet after watching the attacker clock up and an assist and a 90-minute shift for Romania this week.

He said: “Of course I have sympathy for Ianis. He had a hard time at the start of the season