'Crouch is special – we missed him'
Dirk Kuyt has labelled Stoke City's top scorer Peter Crouch a 'special player' - and admits he was missed both on and off the pitch following his departure from Liverpool in 2008.
The pair will be reunited when the Potters visit Anfield on Sunday to compete for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Crouch scored 42 goals during 134 appearances for the Reds between 2005 and 2008 before being sold to Portsmouth.
Kuyt believes the 6ft 7in striker was a loss in the seasons that immediately followed.
He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "It was great to play with him. He was a great player here, he scored some great goals, and he was also a great lad in the dressing room and outside the training ground.
"We had lots of fun with him, he was a good dancer!
"We missed him a bit after he went but he has done really well for all the clubs he has played for, and now he's doing it again with Stoke.
"He is very strong in the air but, especially when he was here, he was very good with his feet as well. Peter is a special player."
An encounter with Stoke brings with it unique challenges - and whatever anyone says about their style of play, Kuyt has respect for the job done by Tony Pulis.
"The Premier League is about the physical game," said the Dutchman. "There is a lot of quality but physically it's also one of the toughest leagues.
"You know what it's about and we know what Stoke City are about. They've got a good team and physically they're one of the strongest teams in the league.
"I was not used to playing against these types of teams in Holland. I've never played anywhere else in the world but I've never played against another team in Europe who play like that.
"But they're doing well, they're getting results and if you see what they have achieved over the last couple of years, it's impressive.
"It's always tough against Stoke."