Newcastle United defender barred from training and forced to return to his old club after signing a five-year deal

Miodrag Pivas was an under-the-radar acquisition for Newcastle United this summer.

In July, the 19-year-old defender joined the club from Serbian side FK Jedinstvo Ub, signing a five-year professional contract. Pivas arrived as a highly regarded young player capable of playing at centre-back or defensive midfield, drawing comparisons to Serbian football legend Nemanja Vidic.

However, his move to Newcastle has been problematic thus far, as he has been unable to practice with the first team or under-21s due to work permit issues. The Gazette approached the club for clarification on Pivas’ position and was advised that the adolescent will be loaned out to Dutch team Willem II.

However, after signing for Willem II for the 2024-25 season, Pivas was confronted with work permit complications yet again. He arrived in Tilburg in late August, and his loan was officially confirmed on September 2.

However, Pivas was unable to practice or play for the team until September 19, when his work permit was cleared.

Pivas was forced to miss two matches for Willem before making his debut in a 2-0 loss against PSV Eindhoven, coming on as a late substitution. He then sat out the 1-0 win over Almare City last week.

The difficulty in obtaining a work permit for Pivas was due in part to Serbia’s lack of membership in the European Union, which means that different criteria apply when allowing people from that country to work in the Netherlands. Pivas needed to apply for a ‘Combined Permit for Residence and Work’ in order to work in the country for more than three months, as per his loan agreement.

Pivas was unable to represent Willem professionally without the work visa, which meant he could not even practice alone at the club’s training field. As a result, Pivas returned to Serbia to practice with his old team Jedinstvo in order to stay fit.

It also allowed him to report to the Dutch embassy in Belgrade to fulfil paperwork while his work permit was processed. Pivas was finally authorised to practice and play after more than two weeks with the club.

Now that his first task has been completed, Pivas must earn his place in Willem’s starting lineup.