Barnsley striker Ben Hamed Toure has returned home following a family bereavement with head coach Daniel Stendel saying: ‘at the moment the human is more important than the player.’

The striker is understood to have returned to the Ivory Coast over the weekend. The 23-year-old had been absent for three weeks previously on compassionate leave but was back last week.

Toure joined for 500,000 Euros in the summer and has so far played four games, starting once in the league.

Head coach Daniel Stendel said: “He is not in Barnsley for private reasons and he cannot play on Saturday.

“Some things happen on the weekend, it changes the situation. It's not good for him. It's a tough situation for him, but still also a tough situation for us because we have a lot of expectation. At the moment the human is more important than the player.”

Meanwhile, centre-back Connor O’Riordan is due to meet with a specialist on Monday about a shoulder injury he picked up in training last Friday, then the Reds will have an idea of the extent of his injury.

Barnsley have not appealed Jack Shepherd’s early red cad for a late tackle on Saturday.

Stendel said: “In my experience in the short time, we appealed a situation from Luca Connell (a red card against Leicester in September), I would say, in my opinion, no chance for a red card, and nothing has changed. I have not the feeling it would change so much when we appealed it.”

With O’Riordan and Shepherd out, Barnsley are likely to continue with the back four that finished Saturday’s game against Oxford of Jubril Okedina, Sam Gale, Arley Kay and Ziyad Larkeche – with Tyrese Noslin the only other senior defender.

In Toure’s absence, Tobi Adeyemo could start a fifth successive game, having been taken off after ten minutes following Shepherd’s red card. The 21-year-old is yet to score for the Reds.

Stendel said: “I think he gives us some things more what we need in the games. I would like that he score a goal or that he have more chances, but in general, I think, with his attitude, he saves and keeps the ball which helps us a lot. We save his energy for Saturday and he has more power this week.”