Aye, Ray Wilkins made the same comparison with Gascoigne as well. Hard to say how good he was capable of becoming given he suffered that leg break at just 21 which effectively ended his career as a major prospect. At the time he looked like the best thing coming through the Scottish game in 15-20 years. Stood out a lot in British football in the 1980s as a slight, technical midfielder weaving in and out of Scottish hatchet men. Solid box-to-box game too contributing at both ends and often ghosting into the box with late runs. Developed under the tutelage of famous disciplinarian Jock Wallace and then Graeme Souness which instilled grit, fitness and strength into his boyish physique. Made a habit of scoring in big games, usually against Aberdeen and Celtic, scoring in cup finals against both sides in those first couple of seasons. Him, Cooper and Souness were a sensational midfield around 1986/87. In build, position and style, I'd probably compare him to Giresse or a young Scholes - perhaps slightly niftier slaloming around players with slightly less of a worldly ping of his right peg. Ultimately he might have needed to leave Scotland to fully maximise his talents, as although Rangers were a big deal, he was always going to be vulnerable to the type of challenge that ruined his career, as well as the off-the-pitch drinking culture that immersed most British dressing rooms. Apparently Souness was open to him going to Sampdoria where he could have formed a superb central midfield partnership with Cerezo. You can probably see a parallel there with McStay at Celtic who nevertheless forged a fine career but whose international appreciation might have moved up a couple of notches had he went to a league with a wider audience.
The injury killed Durrant though - three years out - and he lost a couple of yards. Did hear that around 30,000 turned up for his comeback game in a reserve fixture, which showed how highly regarded he was amongst the Rangers support. Basically became a more horizontal player in the centre of the park, rather than that vertical threat that could bury teams. Credit to him that he could reinvent himself and carve out a solid career. Particularly impressive in the 1992/93 Champions League run (see the smooth give-and-go run against
Lyngby or the sizzling half-volley away to
Marseille in the de-facto semi-final).