Peter Crouch has pinpointed leaving Liverpool as the biggest regret of his career.
Crouch's first two seasons at Anfield saw him play 98 times in all competitions under Rafa Benitez with the striker netting 21 goals between 2005 and 2007.
The Reds frontman was a key figure for Benitez's side as they won the FA Cup in Crouch's first campaign at the club in 2006.
However, the big-money arrival of Fernando Torres in 2007 saw Crouch's game-time dwindle and the ex-England forward made just nine Premier League starts that season before leaving Anfield.
In a Q&A session with the Daily Mail, Crouch said his decision to join Portsmouth in the summer of 2008 was a hasty one given the opportunities that presented themselves to other strikers in the squad once he had moved to Fratton Park.
Crouch accepted it was tough becoming a regular given the partnership of Torres and Steven Gerrard but felt he would have played more had he stayed beyond the summer of 2008.
“The one thing that niggles away at me is leaving Liverpool in 2008," Crouch said.
"Rafa Benitez was happy to let me go and I was only ever going to be a Plan B.
“One of the reasons I went to Portsmouth was because Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were such a dynamic partnership but, 18 months later, when I saw Andriy Voronin and David Ngog getting opportunities, it made me wish I had stayed.
“You don’t leave a club like Liverpool easily.”
Crouch retired last summer after a 19-year career that saw him score 22 goals in 42 appearances for England.
