A pre-season loss against Barcelona followed the defender's exit to AC Milan, but there's still plenty of quality in Massimiliano Allegri's back-line
Scrutiny has no time for reason or patience in European football. When a club sends a world-class centre-back to a domestic rival? That type of move will prompt skepticism at the first sign of trouble.
So when Juventus opened their pre-season with a 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Saturday at MetLife Stadium, manager Massimiliano Allegri already found himself fielding the question.
How much do Juve miss the poise of Leonardo Bonucci?
"Tonight was our first night together, so it wasn't a matter of serenity," Allegri said.