Peterborough United's veteran midfielder Grant McCann is set to leave the club and join Irish League side Linfield on a free transfer, reports the Peterborough Telegraph

McCann has retired
McCann looks set to leave Posh

The 34-year-old has been a fans favourite at London Road since being brought to the club by former manager Gary Johnson in June 2010 from Scunthorpe United.

McCann has made 185 appearances for the Posh, scoring 35 goals, including one in the League One play-off final victory against Huddersfield at Old Trafford in May 2011.

But the midfielder has become surplus to requirements at London Road, having made just two appearances this season and not appeared at all for the first-team since the home defeat to Scunthorpe on November 1.

The Northern Ireland international has been coaching the youth team players this season but his contract is set to run out this summer.

Linfield are managed by Warren Feeney, a former international team-mate of McCann's, and the club are second in the Irish Premiership, just one point behind leaders Crusaders.

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson has admitted that McCann needed to leave the club if he wanted to play first-team football but said to the BBC there has not been a fall-out between the two:

"Grant wants to play every week, but I think he would be better off doing more coaching," said Ferguson.

"I have a lot of younger midfielders at the club and I think that is the way to go, and Grant respects that totally.

"Grant has done a great job with many of our younger players, but if he wants to carry on playing regularly then he might have to leave."

McCann began his career at West Ham United, making four appearances in five years, but spent the majority of his time at Upton Park on loan at Livngston, Notts County and two spells at Cheltenham Town.

He joined Cheltenham on a permanent basis in January 2003 for £50,000 and made 158 appearances, scoring 31 goals, in four years at the club before joining Barnsley in January 2007 for £100,000 after a loan spell at Oakwell.

The midfielder moved on to Scunthorpe United a year later for an undisclosed fee and made 102 appearances, scoring 18 goals for the Iron before leaving to join Peterborough.

McCann made his international debt in October 2001 in a win against Malta and went on to gain 39 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring four goals.