Soccer-Newcastle sign teenage defender Pivas from Serbia

(Reuters) - Newcastle United have signed 19-year-old defender Miodrag Pivas from Serbian side Jedinstvo Ub, the Premier League club said on Saturday.

The Serbia youth international, who can also play as a box-to-box midfielder, spent most of his youth career in Austria, playing for Siezenheim and Grodig, before joining Jedinstvo last year.

"Miodrag is a promising talent with high potential," Newcastle's CEO Darren Eales said in a statement. "I see the project of the club and it looks great which helped convince me to sign for Newcastle," Pivas said.

The Magpies start their league campaign against promoted side Southampton on Aug. 17.

(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)