Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta looks set to go under the knife for a knee complaint which will sideline him until after the winter break, the club said on Thursday.

Motta is now 35 and has been playing less as midfield starlet Adrien Rabiot, 22, gradually starts to fullfil his potential in the ambitious side.

The Brazilian-born Italy international has been complaining of severe pain in his knee and club doctors have opted for arthroscopic cleansing, cleaning up of tiny pieces of bone that may be flouting around in the knee.

“Thiago Motta has been complaining of increasing pain in his right knee since September,” PSG coach Unai Emery explained on their website.

“And this seems the best stage of the season to conduct arthroscopic cleansing,” he said.

“There are plenty of players just waiting to grab their chance to get a start,” said Emery.

Rabiot, under contract until 2019, has been pushing for more playing time and even threatening to leave the club.