Newcastle United defender banned from training set to return to club in 2025 after 'really good signing' claim
Newcastle United loanee Miodrag Pivas was an unused substitute once again for Willem II on Sunday after having his work permit issues resolved.
The 19-year-old joined Willem II on loan from Newcastle in September but was not allowed to train or play for the Dutch club for over two weeks due to not having the appropriate work permit documentation in place.
Pivas returned to Serbia and even trained with his former club FK Jedinstvo Ub while he went through the process of obtaining a ‘Combined Permit for Residence and Work’ that would allow him to work in the Netherlands for more than three months, as per his loan agreement.
While Pivas is now eligible to play for Willem II, he has been limited to just one last-minute substitute appearance so far. He has been named on the bench in the Eredivisie side’s last two matches but has not managed to get on the pitch.
Pivas joined Newcastle from Jedinstvo back in July in a transfer that drew comparisons with the swoop for Yankuba Minteh the previous summer in the respect that Newcastle plucked a promising young player from a lower-profile European league before loaning him out to a Dutch club.
The Magpies ultimately sold Minteh for a considerable profit this summer without the winger playing for the club. But former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, who has contacts in the Netherlands, believes Pivas will prove to be a good signing for Newcastle. "I think he’ll be able to come back to Newcastle next year,” Wyness told Football Insider. “He’s now playing for Willem II in the Netherlands, his issues with work permits have been resolved.
“He’s been selected for the national team setup in Serbia as well. Pivas will be playing at a good level, getting good experience – and that’s what a normal 19-year-old signing would be doing anyway.
“I think it will work out okay for him. I called my contact in Holland about him, and he says he is looking like a proper player. It could be a really good signing for Newcastle going forward.”
But both Newcastle and Pivas will be hoping Willem II hand the defender more opportunities as the season progresses as his on-field impact almost two months into his loan spell has been negligible.