'We’re like a family here': Habib Diarra delights in good times at the Black Cats.

Formal or informal? It says a lot about the young Senegalese star that his joy at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was accompanied by anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”

Was it appropriate to address new, established teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? Ultimately, the young midfielder opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed him not to be so ridiculous; he was part of the group now.

Almost five years later, Diarra is sitting in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy remains but it is evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence suited to a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON winners’ medal.

A Clear Project

With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the opening months of the domestic season resolved, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a talented 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 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 achievable goal this season.”

A Family Atmosphere

Externally, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often depicted. Inside, 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 “really natural” 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 fight for each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the organisation, discipline and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape 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 full freedom to be creative and interchange positions.

“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a framework but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”

Journey and Adaptation

Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.

His precocious maturity helped him combat the disappointment of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to manage myself.”

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 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 fills me with pride to play for them.”

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