If there is one thing that has come to define this season for Tottenham Hotspur, it's injuries.
It's undeniable that Ange Postecoglou's side have massively underperformed over the last nine months, but the number and severity of the team's injuries cannot be ignored.
For example, Archie Gray, an 18-year-old midfielder, has made 19 appearances at centre-back, nine at right-back and five at left-back this season, as there were simply no other options at certain points.
Unfortunately, this rotten luck with injuries has struck the North Londoners once again, and they will be without Dejan Kulusevski for their game this weekend and the Europa League Final next week.
Kulusevski's injury disaster
Likely in a bid to keep him fresh and to try and help rediscover some of his incredible form from earlier this season, Postecoglou opted to start Kulusevski against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately, it was a decision that quickly came back to bite him, as just 19 minutes into the game, the Swedish international hobbled off the pitch, clearly in some discomfort.
After the game, the manager told the press that it was "just a knock" and that "he should be ok," although this has since been proven very wrong indeed.
Just yesterday evening, the club announced that the former Juventus star had "suffered an injury to his right patella" against the Eagles and has now "undergone surgery", which will keep him out of action for the rest of the season.
With James Maddison out for the rest of the campaign as well, it wouldn't be hyperbolic to say that Tottenham are now in an injury crisis when it comes to the number ten position.
Unfortunately, there are simply no perfect solutions at the moment, but Postecoglou could be bold and start one of his most exciting options there on the weekend, ahead of the final.
The Spurs player who should start for Kulusevski
While some fans will want Postecoglou to play the kids this weekend, it's probably better that he plays something close to the team that'll take on Manchester United on Wednesday, at least for the first half.
Doing this should avoid any players getting a little rusty, and it will give the manager a chance to see how Mathys Tel fares in the number ten position.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, we know this is an unorthodox suggestion, but as things stand, there aren't many other options.
Moreover, while the young Frenchman - who could sign permanently in a £45m deal this summer - is primarily a winger and striker, he has shown himself to be quite a creative attacker, especially with Bayern Munich last season.
For example, FBref placed him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last year for goal-creating actions, the top 2% for goals plus assists and medium pass completion, the top 4% for long pass completion, the top 6% for carries into the penalty area, the top 9% for assists and more, all per 90.
On top of that, FBref considered Florian Wirtz to be the eighth most similar player to the Sarcells-born gem last season and Jamal Musiala to be the tenth.
So, if he's statistically similar to two of Germany's most technically gifted number tens, then there must be something in his game worth exploring this weekend, which, if successful, could see him start there again next week.
Moreover, if Ange plans to start Dominic Solanke up top, then the "generational talent," as Spurs themselves described him internally, could almost act as a second striker at points, dovetailing with the Englishman and giving the Red Devils' backline a real headache.
Ultimately, there simply isn't an ideal solution to Spurs' current injury crisis, but in Tel, Ange has a promising youngster who at least has the parts to his game that could see him do a job in attacking midfield.
Therefore, the Australian should start the Bayern Loanee there this weekend as a test case for the final next week.