Tony Mowbray is set to leave the club this summer after five years in charge, and despite his contract coming to an end, the Rovers boss says there have been no approaches, or talks, about his future.

While Mowbray said he does speak with the owners’ advisor, Suhail Pasha, who is based at Ewood Park, most days, there have been no discussions with the owners about his expiring contract.

He did reveal however, that he spoke with a member of the Rao family three weeks ago – but that his future wasn’t discussed.

That was with Balaji Rao, a conversation that Mowbray said centred around the team’s position in the league and wanting to let the squad know that the owners were behind them in their pursuit of the top six.

Of his contact with the owners, Mowbray said: “I speak to Suhail just about every day, he’s the owners’ conduit.

“I spoke to Bala three weeks ago, but that was about ‘come on, tell the lads’ and he sent a letter to the lads on lovely headed paper and I read it out and let them have copies.

“It was very supportive, but that was about the team and that the owners are supporting them and with them, that wasn’t anything to do with me.”

Rovers’ top six hopes ended, and their poor second half of the season continued, with defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.

That leaves nothing riding on the final game of the season at Birmingham City which will be Mowbray’s 267th, and final, game in charge.

He says he will prepare the side as normal for that game, unless told otherwise, and then look forward to a summer with his family.

Though Mowbray said he didn’t know whether to expect any contact from the owners prior to, or after, the game.

He added: “It’s not for me to phone the owners and to ask ‘what’s going on?’

“I’m here as the football manager and my contract will expire and they’ll get another football manager as far as I can see.

“I’m not being flippant, I don’t know what you want me to say, they haven’t discussed it.

“The contract is running down, I will run the team until they tell me not me.”

Mowbray has travelled to India to meet the owners on three separate occasions, first in the summer of 2017 after relegation in League One, then again promotion back to the Championship and most recently in 2019.

Covid restrictions have since prevented that from happening, but Mowbray has widely praised the owners throughout his tenure for their continued support, and humility.

He hopes their investment will continue, and having now come through the Covid restrictions, that budgets can return to their previous levels in order to give the club the best chance to succeed.

He added: “I only have positive things to say about the owners, they are very family orientated, wanted to make people feel as though they were part of the family and they were there to support them.”

Mowbray has received many messages of support in the last week on the back of his decision to leave the club.

He revealed: “I had Sean Dyche on the phone the other day. What a brilliant human being he is, by the way.

“I know he’s a rival from here but what a great human being. A lot of football people have watched the video of my press conference and I’ve had a lot of support, a lot of emails to the club. I feel a lot of warmth.”