“When I came back last Saturday I knew she [Saunders] was in the best place possible to get treatment,” Still said after the success at Stade Velodrome.

“I asked her, ‘should I go? should I not go?’ – and she said to me, ‘you have to go’. I thank the staff again who did the work for me when I wasn’t here.”

Still said Saunders is “stable” and “doing well”, which was “the most important thing”, as he praised his players for how they have responded to the situation.

“Of course, there are more important things in life than a football match or a shot into the top corner,” Still added.

“I have been honest with the guys. My girlfriend was in a coma, I had to be with her. We had to take care of her and the group have reacted admirably well.”

When asked how he could manage in these circumstances, Still added: “It’s my job, it’s what I am paid for. I am well paid, so I told myself I have to give something back, hence my frustration last week.”

Saunders thanked Still for “being you and being there for me” and hopes to return to Sky Sports’ coverage later in the season.

“I hope it won’t be long until I’m back to see out the end of 2024-25 – especially after missing part of the start of the season before this when I was treated for thyroid cancer,” she wrote on Instagram.

“So, as I spend time now recovering and rebuilding again I just wanted to thank my family and friends for their rock-solid support, my colleagues at Sky for their patience allowing me the time to heal, and our wonderful NHS for their extraordinary kindness and care.”