'We are a family unit here': Habib Diarra delights in positive vibes at Sunderland.

Formal or informal? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by worry over the two French words for “you.”

Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be considered too familiar? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and selected the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is settled in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy remains but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an AFCON championship trophy.

A Defined Vision

With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season resolved, Diarra is on a quest to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted youth coach.

“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”

A Family Atmosphere

Externally, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are considerably warmer. The environment is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” and praises Le Bris’s role in its creation.

“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”

Liberty and Structure

If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization are a proof of the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his engine room players complete licence to be creative and swap roles.

“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that is empowering. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, helps us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”

Path and Settlement

Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing 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 Guédiawaye near Dakar.

His early maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”

Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s World Cup. 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. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”

Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”