🔗 Share this article 'We’re like a family here': Sunderland's midfielder delights in good times at the Black Cats. Formal or informal? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s 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? Ultimately, the promising talent opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed 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.’ The Premier League 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 Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON championship trophy. 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 show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Pundits in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about the manager's standing as a talented 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 tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.” A Unified Environment Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes the region look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere 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 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 supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his engine room players full freedom to be creative and swap roles. “The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license 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, helps us a lot. He’s a really big player and a fantastic example.” 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 concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near Dakar. His precocious 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 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 poignant reunion awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I enjoyed representing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. 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.”