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

Vous or Tu? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his elation at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was tempered by worry over the two distinct words for “you.”

Would addressing new, established teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder opted for caution and selected the more polite “vous”. This prompted widespread amusement from the veterans who instructed him not to be so silly; 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 ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His natural politeness remains but it is clear that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.

A Clear Project

With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the first half of the league campaign healed, 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.

“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 understood he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a achievable goal this season.”

A Unified Environment

Outside, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes the region look as grim as it is often depicted. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of strain found in certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” 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 fight for each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”

Liberty and Structure

If the structure, rigor and immense effort supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his engine room players complete licence to improvise and interchange positions.

“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license 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 superb role model.”

Path and Settlement

Diarra is using 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 language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in Guédiawaye near Dakar.

His early maturity helped him combat the disappointment of needing an operation 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 handle the situation.”

Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s global tournament. 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.”

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