Midtjylland endure Scottish survival mission as Danes in Highlands battle that eclipses Celtic and Rangers trips
The Wolves are currently on their mid-season break and are hoping to bounce back from a poor campaign in 2023 where they finished in seventh place in the Danish Superliga.
Danish side FC Midtjylland were sent out on a survival mission in the freezing Scottish Highlands and ordered to hunt their own food to survive in a bizarre team bonding exercise last week.
The Jutland side are on their mid-season break, but while most teams jet out to the sunshine to get some heat in their winter training camps, Midtjylland were ordered out to the wilds of the mountainous Scottish countryside and ordered to fend for themselves in plunging temperatures. The idea came from Midtjylland's 'mentality coach' Bjarne Slot Christiansen, who is a former soldier with the Danish Special Forces, to toughen the players up and encourage teamwork.
And the club's former Arsenal and Anderlecht star Kristoffer Olsson revealed just how tough it was for them in Scotland. He said: "It was really hard. It's an experience we won't forget any time soon. We were out on long hikes in Scotland and we had to find our own food, where to sleep, water, everything.
"For me, the worst thing is that you didn't get anything to eat. We got some food one day, and that was it. It was truly a test, both mentally and physically.
"Especially physically at the end, because you have no energy. We slept in a shelter in sleeping bags. But it wasn't so easy to fall asleep because it was really cold.
"It was so beautiful with the mountains and hills. But honestly, we didn't have the energy to enjoy it. We were worn out and it was just about survival. It was nice to come back and get some warmth and food. Then you started to feel like a person again.
"In our group, my Brazilian teammate Juninho was a good hunter. It was hard, but also a positive experience. I know it sounds like a cliche, but you get closer to each other as a group. If nothing else, you have to talk to each other when you don't have your mobile phone with you."