Nottingham Forest youngster Alex Iacovitti has confirmed that he was the target of interest from Aston Villa in the summer, but says he is more than happy to still be at the City Ground.

The Scotland Under-19s international has been included in the Reds' matchday squad on a couple of occasions so far this season.

Despite not making a senior appearance for the Championship club, Iacovitti claims that he is "enjoying" life at Forest and is blossoming under the management of under-fire boss Dougie Freedman.

"Dougie's great with me on a daily basis," he told The Herald. "He's had me on the bench a couple of times, I've been involved with the squad and trained with the first team.

"He talks to you after training and is a great gaffer. There was talk that I would go to Aston Villa in the summer. There was interest from them, but it didn't come to anything and that suits me because I'm enjoying my time at Forest."

Iacovitti was eligible to represent England and Italy on the international stage, but he has so far opted to go with Scotland - the country of his mother's birth.