Albion’s Norwegian forward Aune Heggebø says he is looking forward to watching his nation take on England in the FIFA World Cup with his club team-mates this weekend.
The quarter-final tie in Miami takes place at 10pm on Saturday night (BST), just as James Morrison’s side are set to arrive in the Algarve for their pre-season training camp.
This means Heggebø will be settling down to view the biggest game in his country’s recent history in a room packed with individuals cheering on the Three Lions, but he’s been assured he won’t be alone in his support for The Vikings.
“We’ll be in Portugal for the training camp, so hopefully we’ll get to the hotel early enough to catch the game. If not, we’ll have to do a blackout and watch it when we get there,” Aune explained.
“It’ll be fun to watch it with my English team-mates, and some of the Irish lads have said they’ll root for Norway with me for a laugh. I've been chatting with loads of people at Albion about the World Cup, the Norway team and the way our country has been enjoying the tournament.
“I’ve got a bit of FOMO from people living in Norway because it’s complete madness over there. The country has gone crazy for the World Cup and our national team.
“I couldn’t sleep after the Brazil game because that was a piece of Norwegian history, maybe even football history. It’s inspirational and unreal to watch that Norwegian team perform so well on the biggest stage in the world.
“You’ve got the whole of the Norwegian population following the national team now. Even people who didn’t like football are following the team and wanting them to progress. It’s bringing the whole nation together and I don’t think people expected the win over Brazil.
“England have an amazing team with so many great players. It will be a big challenge for Norway, but Norway also have amazing players. I'm sure it's going to be a brilliant match - one the whole world will enjoy watching.”
Aune and the Albion are in the thick of their pre-season schedule, and the 24-year-old says he's loving the physical and mental demands of preparing for another campaign in England.
He said: “I feel like it’s good to be experiencing a proper English pre-season with all the running and the double sessions on the pitch, as well as a bit of boxing which we’ve been doing too. It’s a good cultural thing.
“My effort in boxing is good, but my technique is all over the place. Alfie Gilchrist is probably the best boxer.
“Barney Stewart and JJ Morgan have been really good additions to the group, already giving all their energy on the training pitch and wanting to improve.
“It was nice to have some time away in the summer after a busy period of football for me. I went back to Norway, did a bit more travelling and saw my family and friends, so it was a good break.
“It felt good to get a bit of time off to recharge the batteries, but I’m very happy to be back and I’m looking forward to the season starting up soon.”
