AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has spoken of his relief at leaving the "toughest time of [his] career" behind him by returning to the Rossoneri from Schalke.
Boateng, 28, admitted he had been close to quitting the game after being suspended by the Royal Blues for disciplinary reasons towards the end of last season.
He was not permitted to train with the first team and had to keep himself fit and find a new club, eventually joining Milan -- where he spent three years between 2010 and 2013 -- on a free transfer at the beginning of January.
"It was really hard not to have found a new club for such a long time, and also to have no club wanting to put their faith in me for such a long time," Boateng told Bild. "I suffered a lot during this time.
"It was the toughest time of my career because, before then, I had always had the luxury of being part of a club where I was playing and I was one of the most important players in that team. I would ask a lot of questions of myself and wonder what it was that I had done wrong in the two years."
Ultimately, Boateng says he could not work out what exactly it was that he had done to deserve being dropped and suspended by the Bundesliga club.
"I cannot think of anything so bad to justify throwing me out," he said. "Of course I made mistakes, [but not such] that a club who had spent €10 million on me would then suspend me."
Boateng was so bewildered with what went on that he thought about throwing in the towel, although he does not now bear a grudge against Schalke.
"Of course I considered it," he said. "When you can't find a new club for whatever reasons, and Schalke, the club you are contracted to, no longer want you, you ask yourself if maybe you should quit and do something else to make me happy. But when you are only 28, it's too early to leave a sport that you love.
"But peace is something you make after a war, and I never had a war or looked for one. But I am pleased that we can now clear it all up calmly and I wish Schalke all the best."
Boateng has made three substitute appearances since arriving back at Milan -- with whom he had been training with for the past few months while negotiating the termination of his contract with Schalke -- and scored in the 2-0 win over Fiorentina.
"It's incredible the feeling of being back here," he said. "I'd not been playing for eight months and now I have the chance to play again for the club I love. I'm glad I got through this period and immensely happy to be playing again finally.
"Now I want to bounce back and play for Milan for a long time, not just up until the summer. It's fantastic to be at Milan. This is what I want and this is what [girlfriend] Melissa [Satta] wants. I feel at home here. I want to prove I am as good as I was two or three years ago."