Leonardo Bonucci admits he "made a poor decision" when he joined Milan in 2017, though he would have liked to have played alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The experienced defender left Juventus for San Siro following a falling out with then-coach Massimiliano Allegri.

He concedes opting to leave the Serie A champions was an error and he was ultimately glad to return to Juve the following year.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the final campaign of his first spell with Juve, which ended with a 4-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, Bonucci said: "It was a difficult season for me, both personally and professionally.

"There were some disagreements and, especially after the defeat in the Champions League, I ultimately made a poor decision, but I have to say that the decision, which certainly influenced my career, improved me as a man.

"Those months at Milan let me do some soul-searching and made me realise that my calling was at Juventus, who are like my family.

"I met some beautiful people at Milan, first of all Rino [Gennaro] Gattuso. It was a difficult year, but that's not to say it was useless. At the end of it, I was very happy to go back home."

Ibrahimovic, who was at Juve from 2004 to 2006, has since made the switch back to Milan and he is someone Bonucci would have relished having as a team-mate.

"I'd have loved to play with Ibrahimovic," the 33-year-old said. "He's a leader, he has character and he's strong. It would've been nice to face him in training.

"He comes across as a tough guy, but he's a good person. On the field, the players who have character, who are always motivated by the desire to win give you unique stimuli.

"And that's what I'm always looking for, stimuli to improve."