Saints legend Francis Benali completed his ‘Big Run’ but it is far from over from the perspective of sports medical professionals.

Benali, who made nearly 400 appearances for Southampton, must now attempt to nurse his battered body back to health.

The doctor from Saints came out to him on Saturday as he made his way to the finish line at St Mary’s, to check over his ankles that have swelled considerably due to the constant strain of running almost two marathons a day for three weeks.

And an agonising knee problem at one point almost brought a premature end to the epic challenge that saw him run between all 20 Premier League stadiums. Kelly Rutledge, the sports therapist who travelled alongside Benali on the run, has her work cut out to ensure that Franny returns to health.

“It’s hard to put a time scale on his recovery,” she said.

“He’s lost a lot of weight and it will take a long time for his muscles to return to normal.

“I can’t compare what he’s done to anything that anyone has done before and therefore it’s hard to know how the process of getting back to normal will take.

“It’s all down to the individual and, knowing Franny, he’ll be able to cope with it.

“The club doctor will go out to him again tomorrow and then a nutritional expert will be able to put him on track with the diet.”

The 45-year-old former full back lost a stone in weight across the challenge.

“Everyone has their own rate of how long it will take to recover,” said Rutledge.

“The most elite athletes have rest days but Franny didn’t have one for over three weeks, so he’s got to give himself that chance.

“It really has been the biggest challenge of my career, but to be a part of it has been truly amazing.

“I’ve learnt so much.

“I couldn’t have asked to be part of a better team.

“The Benali family are the nicest people and to watch Franny complete the challenge was brilliant.”