Jobi McAnuff hailed Justin Edinburgh as “a one of a kind” following the Leyton Orient head coach’s passing on Saturday.

McAnuff was captain of the side that Edinburgh steered back into the Football League in his first full season at the club having taken over in November 2017.

It was confirmed over the weekend, though, that Edinburgh had died after suffering a cardiac arrest last Monday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, McAnuff said: “He was a one of a kind. I think if you ask any of the boys here and any of the other players that he’s worked with, he just had a real aura about him, a real presence when he walked into a room. He commanded respect and that’s not a quality that a lot of managers share.

“He seemed to be able to have that switch from the fun and the good times that were really what made him who he was to that serious time, time to work, and once again that’s a trait not shared by many.”

Edinburgh’s time at the club was hugely successful – a 13th place finish in the 2017/18 season was achieved on the back of Orient struggling to adapt to life in non-league, with the O’s languishing just above the relegation zone when he took over.

In 2018/19 it was a completely different story, with the club always looking like one of the front runners for the National League title, and the celebrations at the final whistle against Braintree Town, the game that secured Orient’s promotion, will live long in the memory of supporters.

McAnuff said: “It’s really sad coming here where we’ve had so many great memories in the past 18 months, to be here for this. One of the fans said to me, it’s very simple but, ‘he got us and we got him’.

“I think that’s one of the best ways of summing him up and his relationship with the club. That went for us as players as well and it’s really truly sad times.”

Aside from Edinburgh’s quality as a manager, those paying tributes have been quick to point out what a good person he was too, and that’s something McAnuff also drew attention to when paying his respects.

He said: “Football aside, as I said, Justin was a hugely positive man. He loved his family and every day when he came in he had just lust for life, a real zest about him, a real willingness to enjoy himself and I think he would want us to carry that on once this really difficult grieving process has passed, whenever that might be.

“Obviously for some it will never pass but I know for sure that he would want us to approach this in the most positive way that we can. That was very much what he was about, being on the front foot, and I think together, using all of those lessons that he taught us, it can help us deal with such tragic circumstances.”