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Formal or informal? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”

Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? Ultimately, the promising talent played safe and selected the more polite “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who instructed him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.

“After I had the first call with the coach, I reflected 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 goal of mine and the coach presented me with 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, several top European clubs. His natural politeness endures but it is evident that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra carries 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 Defined Vision

With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the opening months of the league campaign healed, 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 unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted youth coach.

“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability 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 helping my game progress. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”

A Unified Environment

Externally, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often depicted. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra portrays 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 support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the structure, rigor and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of 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 swap roles.

“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, helps us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”

Journey and Adaptation

Diarra is speaking through 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 language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.

His early maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing groin surgery followed by four months on the sidelines 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 emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. 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.”