'We’re like a family here': Sunderland's midfielder revels in good times at the Black Cats.

Formal or informal? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was accompanied by worry over the two distinct words for “you.”

Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be seen as too familiar? In the end, the young midfielder opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness remains but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.

A Defined Vision

With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the opening months of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a quest to show exactly 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.

“It came as no shock by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”

A Unified Environment

Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are considerably warmer. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.

“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we’re like a family here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”

Freedom Within a Framework

If the structure, rigor and immense effort 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 engine room players full freedom 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 freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, guides 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 concentrating on acquiring the language skills 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 Dakar.

His early maturity helped him deal with 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 manage myself.”

Diarra is now anticipating 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. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”

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