Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Claudio Marchisio says it was the right time to leave Juventus.

Marchisio left Juve for Zenit in September.

He stated: "I was ready for this because the negotiations had been going on for quite some time.

"After training one day the Bianconeri managers contacted me and within a few hours we finally decided.

"Buffon? Gigi owes his longevity to his way of training: he works on himself and focuses in a different way from all the others. Finally, he did not have serious injuries, so he is healthy.

"(Giorgio) Chiellini is an excellent leader, but I will not see him as a coach in the future I do not even consider coaching: it's not something that causes me emotions."