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Vous or Tu? It reveals much about Habib Diarra that his delight at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by worry over the two French words for “you.”

Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? Ultimately, the promising talent opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the veterans who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

“Once I received the first call with the coach, I sat down and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ The Premier League was always a ambition of mine and the coach outlined for me a well-defined and appealing project.”

Almost five years later, Diarra is settled 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 innate courtesy endures but it is clear that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries 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

Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season 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 surprising decision but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a talented youth coach.

“It came as no shock by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s capable of,” 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 Family Atmosphere

Externally, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes the region look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of tension notable at certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra portrays the environment as “very organic” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.

“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.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards 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 use their initiative. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and swap roles.

“Our manager establishes 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 feels good. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”

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 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 early maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was frustrating, 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 loved playing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” 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 settled very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”