Amar Dedic injury: Barbarez hits out at Newcastle after setback

• Amar Dedic has withdrawn from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s squad after re-aggravating a hamstring injury against Leeds United, having first felt it in the Carabao Cup tie with Millwall.
• Bosnia boss Sergej Barbarez says Newcastle should not have played Dedic against Leeds and expects him fit for the Magpies’ Premier League return on 12 October.
• Tino Livramento’s training strain with England has left Lewis Miley filling in at emergency right-back, leaving Newcastle stretched in that position.

The Amar Dedic injury has cost Newcastle United their first-choice right-back for the entire international window, and it has cost Bosnia and Herzegovina a player for the whole of their Nations League fixtures.

Dedic pulled out of Sergej Barbarez’s squad this week after the hamstring problem flared up again, less than a fortnight after he first felt it.

Key facts and on Dedic Bosnia call

Dedic joined Newcastle from Benfica in the summer transfer window and quickly became first choice at right-back.

He first felt tightness in his hamstring during the Carabao Cup win over Millwall, then played on before the issue resurfaced in the league game against Leeds United.

Barbarez expects his defender to miss the whole of this international break but be available again when Newcastle return to Premier League action on 12 October.

That is roughly three weeks out for a player Matthias Jaissle’s side can ill afford to lose, especially with Tino Livramento also sidelined after a training strain picked up on England duty.

With both senior right-backs unavailable, Lewis Miley was asked to fill in out of position against Hull City.

A midfielder deputising at full-back is rarely ideal, and it shows just how thin Newcastle’s options are in that area right now.

Amar Dedic hamstring setback: how it happened

The timeline is straightforward, but it tells its own story.

Dedic first felt discomfort in the Carabao Cup tie with Millwall, an early warning sign for any hamstring issue.

Rather than being rested, he started against Leeds United, where the same muscle gave way again.

That second incident was enough to rule him out of Bosnia’s squad entirely. Barbarez confirmed as much himself, telling ChronicleLive:

“Amar Dedic re-aggravated his hamstring injury in the game against Leeds United.”

The expert angle: Barbarez blames Newcastle for Dedic risk

Barbarez did not hold back when discussing the decision to play Dedic against Leeds.

His view, delivered in comments reported by ChronicleLive, was blunt:

“Newcastle should have taken more care with a player who had already flagged a problem days earlier.

“If he had not played that game he would be joining us right now,” Barbarez said.

It is a pointed line, and one that puts the responsibility squarely on Newcastle’s medical and coaching staff rather than on bad luck.

Barbarez was equally clear on the timeline that decision has now created.

“But now he will miss this window of Nations League for us and should be ready for the first game after the international break for Newcastle United,” he added.

In other words, a club call over one Carabao Cup fixture has cost Bosnia a player for four Nations League matches, not just one.

What happens next for Newcastle’s right-back dilemma

Newcastle now face close to three weeks without either senior right-back. Livramento’s training strain with England leaves no natural deputy for Dedic, and that gap was already visible when Miley was pushed into the role against Hull City.

Jaissle will need a solution for whichever fixtures fall before 12 October, whether that means Miley again, a reshuffled back four, or another player stepping across from midfield.

Our full report on Dedic’s withdrawal covers the wider squad picture in more depth.

For now, the club’s target is simple. Barbarez has set 12 October as the date, Newcastle’s first Premier League match after the break, and it lines up with the player’s expected return.

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