Nicolas Dominguez grew up watching the Premier League. Testing himself in English football was "always a dream" for the Nottingham Forest midfielder.

But a tourist trip to London and a chat with former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze - not to mention a conversation with Reds head coach Steve Cooper - helped convince him he was making the right move. And being able to bring along his own barbecue grill has helped him to settle in.

Dominguez joined Forest on deadline day in the summer. He completed the switch from Bologna in a PS6.9 million (8m euros) deal which also saw Remo Freuler head in the opposite direction initially on loan.

The Argentine had to wait a little while to make his debut, which came away to Manchester City. But he hasn't looked back since and has the makings of being a terrific addition for the Reds.

"People said to me before I came here that I might find it hard to settle in because it's different to Argentina - Italy is kind of similar," Dominguez says via a translator. "But no, ever since I got here I'm loving it and I've really settled in. I like it a lot and so do my family.

"It helps that I have an Argentinian team-mate (Gonzalo Montiel), and we're neighbours as well. But even if he hadn't been here, I'd have wanted to come all the same.

"Last year I managed to spend some time in London as a tourist and I thought then - although London is very different to Nottingham - I loved the country and the city. I just like the feel of the place here. I like the country, I like England.

"Even the weather isn't a problem to me! Although it's red-hot in Bologna during the summer, it's chilly there in winter."

Dominguez started out at Velez Sarsfield in his homeland, joining the academy at the age of seven. He made his debut at senior level aged 18 and went on to rack up more than 65 league appearances for the club before he joined Bologna in 2019.

During his time with Velez, he was coached by countryman Heinze. The ex-United and Real Madrid man was manager there from 2017 to 2020, and he made a great impression on Dominguez.

"When I went to Velez, he arrived and we coincided there," the 25-year-old explains. "He really influenced me a lot - tactically and maybe even changing my playing style to a certain extent, with the intensity I need for the game, keeping the ball, passing in triangles and that type of thing. He influenced a lot of my general concepts of the game as well; my ideas about the game.

"I did have a chat with him (before moving to England). I made sure I gave him a call.

"He is a real passionate football guy and he said he loves English football. He said it would suit my style.

"Playing in the Premier League was always a dream of mine. For me, not just now but for many years it has been by far the best league in the world.

"I had a good chat with the manager (Cooper), who explained to me a lot about his plans and the general project we have got going on here at Forest. That is what most attracted me to want to come here and start a new chapter in my life, in a new league."

Heinze is not the only person who helped shape Dominguez into the player he is today. The Forest man looked up to a number of midfielders as a youngster.

"I always used to watch a lot of different Premier League teams and enjoyed watching them all," he says. "But at a younger age, it was Manchester United that I would often watch - the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs.

"The players I followed particularly were midfielders. I always liked Juan Sebastian Veron.

"I have to say Rodri is someone I've admired for a few years now. To be able to play so close to him cemented that admiration for him."

The Manchester City ace, of course, did not last the whole game against Forest. He was sent off early in the second half at the Etihad Stadium last month.

"I said he needs to see out the 90," Dominguez quips. "And he said: 'That's a good joke!'"

Dominguez says he is the kind of player who will sacrifice himself for the greater good, acknowledging the team always comes first. He is also a winner.

He was part of the Argentina side which won the Copa America in 2021. And it is his goal to earn more caps for his country by showing what he can do on the banks of the Trent.

"In terms of winning silverware, yes, that would be the high point," he says of the Copa America triumph. "But in pure football terms and personally, I have had other moments that have matched that.

"It was really important and a hugely special moment for all the supporters of Argentina. I think it had been a weight on players' backs. That expectation was always there. The Spanish say it is like a rucksack on the back, but that was lifted off us. In that respect it was a weight the players in that squad did not really deserve to be carrying, given what they had achieved in other ways in their careers.

Dominguez was not in the Argentina squad for last year's World Cup. He was watching on TV in Italy as his country lifted the trophy. But he insists he has no hard feelings.

"No, not at all," he says. "There is no negativity there. I knew I was not at the level to go and perform (in the World Cup). But in terms of ambition, yes, for sure, in the long-term I want to be a part of things on an international level. Hopefully with hard work we can achieve that.

"I had an injury at the start of the World Cup year. I had got back to training and playing at the start of the Italian season in the June and July, even if I perhaps was not fully match-fit.

"December just came around too soon. Being self-critical and honest with myself, I probably wasn't ready to go and take on something as challenging as a World Cup.

"I was really pleased they won. I was pleased for all my teammates and also for the entire nation, back home in Argentina."

And he makes sure he has a little piece of home with him in Nottingham. In the form of Argentinian meats.

"The barbecue I used to use in Bologna is here now - that arrived safely," he grins. "I'm just trying out different cuts of meat so I know what's best when we have people around and I get it right! I believe there are suppliers in London who can supply me with good Argentinian meats."

What have you made of Dominguez for Forest so far? Have your say in the comments below