🔗 Share this article

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

Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? Ultimately, the young midfielder opted for caution and selected the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed him not to be so silly; 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.’ England's top flight was always a ambition of mine and the coach outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”

Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy remains but it is clear that the young Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an AFCON championship trophy.

A Defined Vision

Now that the groin issue that sidelined him for much of the opening months of the league campaign resolved, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a gifted youth coach.

“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I understood he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”

A Unified Environment

Outside, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes the region look as bleak as it is often depicted. Inside, things are considerably warmer. The environment is free of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” 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 support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Liberty and Structure

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 use their initiative. He offers his midfielders full freedom to improvise and interchange positions.

“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”

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

His early maturity helped him combat the frustration 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 handle the situation.”

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 enjoyed representing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”

Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”