WEST HAM UNITED’S Conor Coventry is set to spend the rest of the season in the Championship after signing a loan deal with Peterborough United.

The move will provide the midfielder with the opportunity to increase his experience of competitive senior football – a prospect that appears increasing unlikely at the London Stadium with the Hammers keen to bring in Czech international Alex Kral from Spartak Moscow. 

“I am delighted to get the deal done,” said Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson, who guided the club to promotion from League One last season.

“Conor is someone that we have been interested in for a while. We have had to remain patient, but everything is sorted and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Coventry is thought to be highly-regarded at West Ham, as evidenced by the new three-and-a-half-year contract he was rewarded with in January of last year.

However, while he has been among the substitutes for all three of their Premier League games this season, the 21-year-old has been restricted to just three first-team appearances – all of which have come in the Carabao Cup – since his 2018 debut.

Coventry is set to captain the Republic of Ireland U21 team in their upcoming double-header of European Championship qualifiers away from home. Friday’s game against Bosnia & Herzegovina will be followed by a meeting with Luxembourg on Tuesday.

The London-born prospect has already been capped 16 times at U21 level, having made his debut under Stephen Kenny in 2019. Kenny also called him into the senior squad in March following a spate of injuries.

A loan move to Lincoln City in January 2020 saw Coventry play seven times for the League One club before the season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

West Ham have the option of recalling Coventry during the January transfer window.