'We are a family unit here': Habib Diarra revels in good times at the Black Cats.

Formal or informal? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his joy at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”

Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness endures but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are virtual strangers. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.

A Clear Project

With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a quest to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Pundits in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a talented youth coach.

“It came as no shock by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I understood he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”

A Unified Environment

Outside, the chilly February wind and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The environment is free of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from Premier League squads. Diarra portrays the environment as “very organic” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.

“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his engine room players complete licence to be creative and swap roles.

“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, helps us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”

Journey and Adaptation

Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.

His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”

Diarra is now anticipating playing in this summer’s global tournament. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”

Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”