'We are a family unit here': Habib Diarra celebrates good times at Sunderland.

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 French words for “you.”

Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? Ultimately, the promising talent opted for caution and selected the more formal “vous”. Cue widespread amusement 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 Sunderland’s Academy of Light detailing why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy endures but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.

A Clear Project

Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely 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 Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a gifted youth coach.

“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. 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 driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.

“The coach always says to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Liberty and Structure

If the structure, rigor and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a proof of the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, 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 structure but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a all-action No 8. “During matches that is empowering. That autonomy 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 using a French interpreter but his English has progressed 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 language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up 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 manage myself.”

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. “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.”