Meet the man with more league titles than anyone but Pep (... in the last five years of English football at least!): RICHIE WELLENS opens up on a footballing journey that saw him released by Fergie

The Orient boss has won League Two twice and lifted the Papa John’s Trophy Only one manager in England has lifted more league titles over the last five years: Pep Guardiola, who will sit in the other dugout at Leyton Orient on Saturday. Wellens: two League Two titles and one Papa John’s Trophy across three clubs since 2020. Only Pep Guardiola has more league titles in England than Richie Wellens in the last five years Wellens will face Pep Guardiola when his Leyton Orient side take on Man City in the FA Cup Wellens admits to asking Guardiola for a photo at a League Managers Association event ‘I think you’d be foolish not to look at it and go, “I like the idea of that, can I work on that and maybe take bits?” When I was at Swindon we had midfielders who would roll out as false full backs. It’s up to us coaches to take snippets but not copy because we haven’t got the same athletes.’ Wellens, authentic and self-deprecating, is 44 but has a whole career’s worth of management experience across five jobs that have gone from the ridiculous at Oldham Athletic — a crazy owner, pressure on who to select, tens of triallists queuing outside his office on any given day — to the sublime at Orient, where his tight relationship with chairman Nigel Travis is helping an unlikely tilt at League One’s play-offs. Roy Keane, the best player, would train and look at you as if to say, “You’re not running past me, I’m gonna smash you”.’ The Man United fan was on the radio when Ilkay Gundogan scored in the 2023 final for City Wellens admits making many mistakes in his own playing career after coming though at United At just 44, Wellens has already had five managerial jobs and boasts significant experience Wellens thrived at Blackpool, Oldham, Doncaster and Leicester City — he regrets turning down a move to top-flight Birmingham in 2010 — and next came into contact with Ferguson seven years after his release.