Barnsley captain Angus MacDonald has an iron deficiency which is keeping him out of action.

The 25-year-old has not played in the Reds' last nine games since November as he had viral infection then struggled to get back to full health. MacDonald – who missed 18 months as a teenager with a blood clot in his lung – is due to have an iron infusion next week.

Head coach Paul Heckingbottom said: "We have done lots of tests and we now know he has quite a significant iron deficiency which obviously impacts on your ability to train properly and carry oxygen around your body.

"It is something that has been giving him a problem for a long time. We are hoping the treatment makes a big improvement because we were banging our heads against a brick wall and he was getting down about it.

"His iron levels and his fitness levels have always been low but they have got worse even though he has been trying really hard and doing extra work."

Goalkeeper Adam Davies, who has been deputising as captain when MacDonald has been unavailable, insists the defender is still a big presence at Oakwell. Davies told the Chronicle: "He still contributes, he trains well and keeps us fit. He can't do it on a Saturday at the minute but he's still good around the changing rooms."

Meanwhile, Lloyd Isgrove came off on Saturday due to a dead leg but the swelling and bruising has reduced this week and Heckingbottom is hoping he can play against Aston Villa tomorrow.

Isgrove's fellow Welsh winger Ryan Hedges and left-back Zeki Fryers are still recovering from injuries. MacDonald's fellow centre-back Adam Jackson is back in training after injury and is due to play for the under 23s in a practice match.