🔗 Share this article

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

Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be seen as too familiar? In the end, the promising talent played safe and selected the more polite “vous”. This prompted widespread amusement from the older players who told him not to be so ridiculous; 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.’ England's top flight was always a goal of mine and the coach presented me with a well-defined and appealing project.”

Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy remains but it is evident that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.

A Defined Vision

With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season resolved, Diarra is on a quest 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 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. “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 primary aim is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”

A Unified Environment

Outside, the chilly February wind and heavy downpour makes the region look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are considerably warmer. The atmosphere is free of the type of tension notable at 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 have a familial bond 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 supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders 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 feels good. That autonomy is so important. Our captain, Granit, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”

Journey and Adaptation

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 the Senegalese capital.

His early maturity helped him combat the disappointment of needing groin surgery 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 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.”

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