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

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

Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be considered too familiar? In the end, 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 ridiculous; he was one of them now.

Almost five years later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness remains but it is evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching 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 healed, Diarra is on a quest 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 the manager's reputation as a gifted youth coach.

“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification 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 considerably warmer. The environment is free of the type of tension found in certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and praises Le Bris’s role in its creation.

“The coach always says to us that we have a familial bond here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Liberty and Structure

If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards supporting 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 complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.

“Our manager establishes 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 feels good. That freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a superb role model.”

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 language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in his hometown near Dakar.

His precocious maturity helped him combat the disappointment 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 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 loved playing 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 feel really comfortable here.”