'We’re like a family here': Habib Diarra celebrates positive vibes at the Black Cats.

Formal or informal? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the senior squad was accompanied by worry over the two French words for “you.”

Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the older players who instructed him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

Almost five years later, Diarra is settled in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON winners’ medal.

A Clear Project

Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign healed, 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 queried Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a talented youth coach.

“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against 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, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”

A Family Atmosphere

Externally, the chilly February wind and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are considerably warmer. The environment is free of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.

“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a testament to the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and interchange positions.

“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “During matches that feels good. That freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a fantastic example.”

Path and Settlement

Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.

His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”

Diarra is now anticipating playing in this summer’s World Cup. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a poignant reunion awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I enjoyed representing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”

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