Norway doctor Ola Sand says he was reprimanded after discussing Martin Odegaard’s injury and now holds his tongue.
Norway’s national team doctor has admitted he was previously reprimanded after discussing Martin Odegaard’s injury publicly, with Arsenal now insisting on strict control over what is said about their captain’s fitness.
Odegaard’s shoulder and knee problems were a major issue throughout the 2025/26 season, restricting him to just 16 Premier League starts, while his form has again come under scrutiny despite Norway’s 4-1 World Cup opening win against Iraq in which he got an assist from a corner.
The limits placed on medical updates mean national team doctor Ola Sand is careful about what he reveals, particularly when dealing with players from leading Premier League clubs.
“Many years ago I got a little slap on the fingers and haven’t said anything since,” Sand said in an interview.
The warning followed comments he made a couple of years ago about Odegaard’s ankle injury after a match against Austria.
Sand said at the time that the problem would keep the midfielder out of several Premier League and Champions League matches, and the report was quickly picked up by the media, including by us here at Daily Cannon. In the end, Odegaard missed 14 games for club and country, including matches against Spurs, City, Liverpool, Newcastle and PSG.
“We know a lot about Martin,” Sand added. “It’s especially with the top clubs in the Premier League that they don’t want us to say anything to the media. But we talk a lot with the players and know a lot. But we can only say something when they are in our custody and we are responsible for them during training.”
He added, “City are also very strict. They prefer not to say which part of the body the player is injured in.
“We have a close dialogue with the players. Often we don’t need much contact with the clubs. But if a player gets injured with us, we get in touch to tell them what it’s about. But there is less need to talk to a doctor or physio at Arsenal, because I can talk to Martin,” Sand said.
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