Leeds United winger Jack Harrison had insisted the injury crisis that has struck the club can only be of benefit to the mental strength of the squad.
The Whites have been plagued by injuries this season, which has contributed to a failure to replicate the form they showed for much of their first campaign back in the Premier League.
Harrison has only been unavailable for one league game this season but his teammates have not been as fortunate and head coach Marcelo Bielsa has been forced to cope without the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford for prolonged stretches this season.
Speaking to LeedsLive as he gave away the shirt in which he scored a hat-trick against West Ham following a raffle which raised £30,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research, Harrison said: "I think we've been really unfortunate with injuries this season and with one thing and another but I think it can only help with that mental strength and the fortitude coming into a crucial part of the season where we need as many points as we can get.
"We're not in a bad position at the moment but we'd like to keep moving up as far away from relegation as we can. We know it's important to stay positive and keep working hard for the rest of the season. If we work the way we know we can and we have done in the past, we know that the methodology works as well. Getting everyone back will definitely help and hopefully we can get some points."
Young prospects have been promoted from the under-23s to plug gaps left by injured senior players and Leeds have consequently become the first club in Premier League history to hand debuts to eight teenagers in a single season.
There have even been appearances on the bench for 15-year-old Archie Gray, who would have become the youngest player to ever play in the division had he been brought on as a substitute.
The likes of Leo Hjelde and Joe Gelhardt have made an impact at first-team level, appearing comfortable in the absence of more senior teammates and earning praise from Harrison.
When asked about injuries being a topic of conversation among players, he said: "I mean, it's part of football, it's part of the game, these things happen, some more than others and it's just been a case for us this season.
"We just have to continue on with what we've got, some of the young guys have stepped up have done brilliantly and we just have to continue on like this with or without the players that we have. It's something that we have to face and get on with."
The staggering amount of absences have prompted question marks over the notoriously intense training sessions led by Bielsa and Harrison touched on the way they prepare but also claimed there has been an element of bad luck.
He said: "This has probably been the time with the most amount of injuries. I think it's tough, the way we train and the way we play, we're bound to get injuries but I think we've just been unlucky really this season more than any other season.
"It's been hard to get players back, but it's probably been the toughest time period I've faced in terms of the number of injuries but I think we've shown a lot of promise with the guys coming back. Hopefully we can keep everybody fit and stay strong for the rest of the season."
Leeds have had a weekend away from Premier League action and the break has been timed perfectly for midfielder Adam Forshaw, who is expected to return for the upcoming trip to Aston Villa.
When asked about the worst of the injury crisis potentially being behind Leeds, Harrison said: "You never really know in football, anything can happen in terms of injuries.
"I think with Patrick [Bamford] coming back soon and getting Adam Forshaw back, it'll be good going into the Villa game and we just have to take it game-by-game and that's it really."
