Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati has been sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a freak knee injury in the opening minutes of the 5-1 Serie A rout of Siena.

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Milan said Abbiati would undergo an operation on his right knee in the coming weeks, thus ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Milan, who are third in Serie A but 12 points behind leaders Internazionale and five behind Juventus, said the "complexity" of Abbiati's injury meant he would need three weeks of rehab before going under the knife.

Brazilian keeper Dida, who has been Milan's number two since the start of the season, will step up in place of Abbiati, who injured his knee in a clash with teammate Giuseppe Favalli.

Abbiati, 31, re-established himself as Milan's number one after losing his place to Dida seven years ago and spending time on loan at Juventus, Torino and Atletico Madrid.