Liverpool slumped to a humiliating 2-1 defeat at the hands of French Fourth Division side Bolougne last night.

Gerard Houllier had taken his struggling side across the Channel to help Bolougne celebrate their centenary.

Although the likes of Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen were not involved, Liverpool still fielded eight full internationals at the start.

Patrik Berger gave them a 13th minute lead, but the French side hit back within 60 seconds with Roussell equalising. And two minutes from time Bolougne scored their winner with a deflected free-kick.

The Liverpool side at the start was David James, Bjorne Kvarme, Phil Babb, Rigobert Song, Dominic Matteo, Jamie Redknapp, Steve Gerrard, David Thompson, KarlHeinz Riedle, Steve McManaman and Patrick Berger.

Liverpool's three-day trip to France ends tomorrow.

Meanwhile McManaman's solicitor last night rejected claims on a radio phone-in that the England midfielder wore a Real Madrid badge on a the trip to France. "It was actually a Liverpool Football Club badge," said Gerard Tyrell.

Blackburn striker Chris Sutton looks set to be handed an international recall when Kevin Keegan names his first England squad today for the crucial Euro 2000 qualifier against Poland.

Tottenham keeper Ian Walker and Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour can also expect returns to the fold, although it would seem that Paul Gascoigne has still not done enough to warrant his inclusion.

Keegan has vowed to make few changes from the squads chosen by Glenn Hoddle and concedes that most observers would be able to pick the top 30 players in the country.

However, when the Fulham manager reduces that list to the 24 or so names who will appear in the squad for the game at Wembley a week on Saturday, Sutton can reasonably expect to be included again.

The centre-forward has been sidelined from the England squad ever since he refused to play in an England B international last season and Hoddle consigned him to the international wilderness.

Blackburn manager Brian Kidd has revealed that Hoddle was set to perform a dramatic U-turn by naming the centre-forward in his last squad to face France at Wembley last month only for injury to intervene. That injury has now cleared up.