TROUBLED former Celtic and Hibs striker Anthony Stokes hasn’t kicked a ball for months because of ‘personal issues,’ Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed.

The Ireland star became a Hibs hero after netting in last summer’s Scottish Cup Final win over Rangers, which brought to an end their 114-year drought.

He moved to Lancashire in the summer under former boss Owen Coyle and signed a three-year deal, but Coyle was sacked in February.

Former Celtic boss Mowbray took over, but the 28-year-old hasn’t had a look-in under him at Rovers and hasn’t played a league game since December.

But Mowbray has insisted the pair haven’t had a fall-out and Stokes – who was handed a two-year suspended sentence in February for assault following an incident in Dublin in 2013 – is sorting out his personal life.

He said: “We have had a few personal issues with Anthony from the day that I walked in. 

“I don’t think it’s a place for me to discuss his personal situation, but what has probably kept him out of the picture is stuff that has been going on off the pitch rather than on the pitch.

“I’m trying to manage that situation the best I can and the supporters should know that there’s no fall-out between me and Stokesy.

“He’s just looking after certain aspects of his life at the moment and if and when he’s ready to come in and impact on the team we’ll get him ready. He’s not far away, but we talk quite a lot on how he is feeling.

“What I would say is that he has worked extremely hard in the last three weeks, he’s done a lot of training on his own with the sports science department and a lot work in isolation which is always difficult to do

“But he has trained the last week or so and I would have to say that he looks a finisher.”