The Champions League final defeat by AC Milan was still fresh in the memory, which was part of the reason why Crouch was feeling nervous. He had just had the season of his life, finishing as top scorer for both club and country, and yet the fact that he had been overlooked for all but the final 12 minutes against Milan in Athens had done little to convince him that he was wanted by Benítez.
A public admission by the manager that Liverpool lacked cutting edge up front, which would take two new strikers to resolve, coupled with the constant speculation about his future, had served only to unsettle Crouch further.
He needed clarification about where he stood. Craved it, and yet was willing to accept that, in a few seconds, the curtain could be brought down on his Liverpool career after only two seasons. "A lot of players went to see the manager after the season just to wrap things up and to see what the future held," Crouch explained. "I was no different. I wanted to go and see him. I felt I had had a good season at Liverpool and played well, but I just needed to know that I was still in his plans for next year."
That Crouch has seen off Craig Bellamy, Djibril Cissé, Robbie Fowler, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Luis GarcÍa this summer, just as he did Fernando Morientes and others around the same time last year, explains more or less where he stood in Benítez's plans, but for a player who has always had a hard time trying to convince people of his worth, the doubts were understandable.
Crouch scored more goals for Liverpool - 18 - and England - six, including the strike against Estonia last month - than anyone else, but when it comes to talking about the best forwards in the Barclays Premier League, people will reel off at least a dozen or so names before considering the 6ft 7in striker.
A respect is lacking to Crouch and, at 26, he still cannot quite fathom it. "[Didier] Drogba was fantastic last year and got the credit he deserved because he scored 33 goals," Crouch said. "But you look at the goals I scored for the time I was on the pitch and I think perhaps my record goes unnoticed and isn't given the scrutiny Drogba's is.
"At times I do find it frustrating but all I can do, rather than shout and scream and say 'Look how good I am', is do it on the pitch and hopefully convince people with my performances."
If Crouch has a weakness, it may be that he wants to please and convince everybody of his talent, not least the supporters who he hopes, through BT Vision Sport, a newly-launched television service he is helping to promote, will be able to watch football for less money. Satisfying everyone is, of course, an impossible task and, as Crouch concedes, he may have to silence his critics again next season, when most are expecting Liverpool to start with Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres, the club's record signing, up front in their quest for that elusive league title, and for England to opt for Wayne Rooney and a resurgent Michael Owen as they go in pursuit of qualification for the 2008 European Championship.
"Playing for Liverpool prepares you for how cutthroat it is at England," Crouch said. "I've managed to force my way in before and if that's the case this season I'll do the same again."
High achiever
Peter Crouch recorded the tenth-best ratio of goals to minutes on the pitch in the Barclays Premiership last season, far better than Dirk Kuyt, his Liverpool teammate, or Wayne Rooney, of Manchester United.