The left-back never got to grips with the English Premier League, so Newcastle cut their losses and moved him on.
I'm sure the majority of Toon supporters were happy to see him head to Newcastle airport, but why did he fail in England?
Many suggest the Premier League was too tough for him and I'd tend to agree.
He hated the physical contact, and I still believe he would have been better on the left side of midfield, rather than in the back-line where he obviously struggled to defend.
The 24-year-old full-back, who earned the last of his eight Azzurri caps against the Netherlands in February 2013, has been called up by national head coach Antontio Conte for the forthcoming friendly with England, to be played at Juventus Stadium on Tuesday evening.