Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has confirmed that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will miss Saturday's Premier League clash against struggling Crystal Palace following the birth of his daughter.

The 22-year-old, who is valued at £7.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, made 33 appearances in all competitions for Southampton last season, but is yet to appear for the Saints this term.

It had been thought that the versatile midfielder would feature against bottom-of-the-table Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, but Pellegrino has revealed that the Denmark international will be unavailable for personal reasons.

Pellegrino told reporters, in quotes carried by Southampton's official website:

"The only thing that I would like to say is to congratulate Pierre Højbjerg on the birth of his daughter. He is the only player who is away, in his country, but the rest of the team is ok."

Hojbjerg, who was once regarded as one of the brightest youngsters at German giants Bayern, joined Southampton last summer for just under £13m, signing a five-year contract with the Premier League side.

The 17-time Denmark international will return to Southampton next week ahead of the Premier League clash with high-flying Manchester United on September 23.

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