Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder Andrew Shinnie has admitted that the time is right for him to leave the club.

The 23-year-old has signed a pre-contract agreement with Birmingham City and will move to the Championship outfit when his Inverness contract expires at the end of this season.

Shinnie has insisted that his decision to leave the Scottish Premier League is the right move for his career.

"Obviously it's a burden to leave," Clubcall.com quotes him as saying.

"There's a lot of good things at Inverness. The boys are great. But I just want to go down and prove myself all over again to new fans, new players, new management.

"I just felt it was the right time to move on and start a new chapter in my career, but I'll always be grateful to Inverness. It is a massive step up, but it is an opportunity you can't turn down and I've got confidence in myself."

Shinnie has made 42 appearances for Inverness this season, scoring 15 goals.