Anthony Stokes says the chance to work with Neil Lennon again was instrumental in his decision to rejoin Hibs.

The Irish forward arrived at Edinburgh Airport on Wednesday afternoon ahead of signing a two-year deal with the Easter Road side.

Stokes believes Lennon got the best out of him during their spell working together at Celtic and is hopeful of similar success this time around.

"He (Lennon) was a big part of it," said Stokes. "He knows me well and got the best out of me when I was at Celtic so I'm hoping he can do the same this time around."

The 29-year-old has returned for a third spell at Easter Road, having left for English side Blackburn Rovers last summer.

That move soon turned sour as a series of off-field issues saw him banished at Ewood Park.

He scored three times in 12 appearances as Rovers suffered relegation to League One.

Stokes said: "I haven't played in a while so I just need to get back at it and get as fit as I can as quickly as possible.

"I've been doing my own thing, maybe I'm missing a bit of sharpness but my fitness is fine. It's just match sharpness and getting a touch of the ball again."

The Irishman scored two goals as Hibs beat Rangers 3-2 in the 2016 Scottish Cup final, ending the club's long wait to lift the trophy.