Newcastle, July 20 (IANS): English football club Newcastle United have signed Serbian defender Miodrag Pivas from FK Jedinstvo Ub on Saturday ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. The 19-year-old, who has represented Serbia at under-17 level, also featured in a defensive midfield position last season as Jedinstvo finished as runners-up in the second tier to clinch promotion to the Serbian Super Liga.

Born in Novi Sad, north-west of Serbian capital Belgrade, Pivas began his career with Austrian regional sides UFC Siezenheim and SV Grodig before returning to his native country with Jedinstvo in 2023.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable to join such a big club like Newcastle United and I cannot wait to get started. I see the project of the club and it looks great which helped convince me to sign for Newcastle," Pivas said in a statement.

“I see the young players have developed very well here and I would like to do the same - to develop and get into Newcastle's first team. I’m very excited and I can’t wait to begin," he added.

Darren Eales, CEO at Newcastle United, said: “Miodrag is a promising talent with high potential. Our recruitment network is continuing to watch young players like Miodrag around the world with a view to identifying and developing them into first-team players of the future.

“We are pleased to welcome him to Newcastle United and we look forward to supporting his development at this important stage of his career," he added.