Call Of Duty and getting engaged….Casper De Norre kept himself busy while Millwall midfielder sidelined due to injury

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Casper De Norre has been honing his Call Of Duty gaming skills while he was sidelined – but now the fit-again Millwall midfielder has QPR in his crosshairs this weekend.

The 26-year-old missed eight matches with an Achilles injury that also affected his lower calf but made his return as a late substitute in Saturday’s 3-1 Den defeat to Middlesbrough.

De Norre got engaged to his partner, Iris, after Christmas but she is still living in Belgium due to work commitments.

But the midfielder has ensured that his down time while sidelined has not dragged or got his spirits down.

“I started to play Call Of Duty again with friends from Belgium,” De Norre told the South London Press. “The game is not that important – it is more about the social side, when I am alone here.

“If I have something to do and I’m not getting bored it is alright. I can cook and do the laundry – it’s not difficult.

“I like watching sports and TV. I’m into loads of sports – Formula One, NBA, NFL and cycling.

“I started to get into NFL now because of the guys on the team here. It’s not so popular in Belgium, but Connal (Trueman), George Honeyman and Shaun Hutchinson are really into it. They were telling me to watch it on a Sunday evening on the RedZone.”

The timing of De Norre’s move to South London meant that his now fiancée was unable to join him.

“She is a school counsellor for 12 to 14 year olds and the problem is that the end of the school year in Belgium was June – she already had to say if she was going back,” said De Norre. “At that point we knew there was a possibility I would come to Millwall, but it was not sure yet.

“We didn’t know what would happen so she said: ‘I’m going to say yes and work there next year’.

“It’s been managed so that she can work on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then come over on a Wednesday evening, if we have a home game.

“We see each other four or five days and then for about 10 days we don’t – because when we have away games and go to a hotel there is no point. She can come for longer periods on school holidays.

“We were used to living together. Now it is a little more difficult, at times, but in the end you get used to it.”

De Norre’s most recent injury is the longest he has been out in his career.

“In the last few years in Belgium, I did my right Achilles – a little bit like tendonitis – but that was because we did loads of training sessions there and the load was really high,” he said. “When I came here, because we have a Wednesday off, the schedule meant it was going away – I couldn’t feel it anymore.

“I remember it was really cold the night we played Ipswich so I was thinking that was why my Achilles tendon was feeling a bit sore and tender.’

“But when we got in at half-time, I felt it more and more. I could run in the second half, but I didn’t really know what was happening.

“After the game I couldn’t walk – I was really limping. The next morning we came in and we were thinking it’s fatigue or not something too bad.

“We had a game the next Saturday against Sunderland. I did everything on the machines to get game ready. The next day was the same and I was still limping, so we knew I had to get a scan.

“On the Friday, I got the news I had a grade two C from my muscle into the tendon – that’s why they (Millwall head coach Joe Edwards) described the injury as a little bit unusual.”

De Norre is set for his first visit as a Lions player to a London rival. He has twice been in the stands this season to watch pal Leandro Trossard play for Arsenal against Manchester City and Sevilla.

In truth, a meeting with QPR lacks the same kind of passion compared to Millwall matches against the likes of West Ham United, Crystal Palace or Charlton.

“A derby is always nice to play in. I played for both Genk and Sint-Truiden, they were big rivals, so I know how special it is to play in a derby,” he said..

“It means a lot to the fans. They always say in Belgium: ‘You don’t play a derby – you win it.’