Milllwall's De Norre excited by chance of Premier League

Millwall midfielder Casper De Norre says he is "excited" by the prospect of playing in the Premier League with the Lions still in with a chance of securing automatic promotion from the Championship on the final day of the regular season.

Ipswich's 2-2 draw with Southampton on Tuesday means Millwall are third, one point below second-placed Ipswich, and with a goal difference 17 worse than the Tractor Boys.

They therefore need to beat already-relegated Oxford United at The Den on Saturday [12:30 BST] and hope Ipswich either draw or lose at home to Millwall's London rivals Queens Park Rangers - who are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, now practically playing for pride, comfortably sat in mid-table.

Despite suffering injuries during three stages of this season - including a groin issue which ruled him out for four matches in March - De Norre has still made 28 appearances in the Championship this term after playing in every league match for the Lions last year.

"When I came to Millwall, I would say in the back of my mind, this is probably my only chance of playing in the Premier League in my career," De Norre told BBC Radio London.

"I am now 29, I was 26 when I came here. It was always my goal to achieve it [promotion] through Millwall.

"Even if I just play one game in the Premier League, it would be something amazing, it would be the highlight of my career.

"Four, five years ago, I would never have thought I would have the chance to play in the Premier League. We still have a lot of work to do but there is a chance that might happen so obviously that excites you."

De Norre moved to The Den from Belgian club OH Leuven in the summer of 2023, joining a side which had just dramatically missed out of the Championship play-off places on the final day of the season when they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 to Blackburn Rovers.

Those same opponents Blackburn then effectively ended Millwall's faint play-off hopes last season with a damaging 4-1 defeat at Ewood Park last April as the Lions eventually went onto finish eighth, two points outside the play-off places.

"Ever since I've been here, the goal has always been getting into the top six," De Norre said. "Especially since the gaffer [Alex Neil] came in, we've really taken a step forwards.

"I've always played when I've been fit, so it's always nice to feel that confidence and confidence from the club that I am an important player - that's all you really want as a football player, to feel that trust."

The popular Belgium midfielder, who has been a hit with the fans and staff since arriving - signing a new one-year contract extension last month - is also currently studying on how to become a director of football after he has retired while concentrating on his side's final promotion push.

He explained: "I was living here on my own, my wife was still living in Belgium, so she was not here all the time. I was playing [on the] PlayStation a whole lot.

"I still have to start thinking about what I want to do with my career [after retiring from professional football]. That year, the PFA started with giving those courses - and I was like why not try and do something, doing this first, and maybe doing my coaching badges afterwards when I'm back in Belgium.

"If there's something that interests me, it's that scouting part, building a squad and overseeing those different departments."

Listen to the full interview with Casper De Norre here.