The wing-back was ruled out for much of last season after suffering a serious knee injury in our big Champions League victory over Juventus, not featuring again until coming off the bench late on in the win over Watford on the last day of our 2021/22 campaign.

While he admits it was frustrating to make his comeback only to immediately put it on pause again until the start of the new season, Chilwell is pleased that his recovery has so far surpassed his expectations and feels the backing he received from the Chelsea supporters, both against the Hornets and throughout his time out, gave him the push he needed.

‘It was kind of bitter sweet because I got that feeling of being back on the pitch, where I love being, back at Stamford Bridge and the reception I got going back onto the pitch, and then the season finished.

‘So I had to wait a few more months to get that feeling again, but that also gave me the motivation and the drive to make sure over the month that I had off, to really push myself to make sure I was in the best shape for coming back into pre-season.

‘Mentally it’s probably been a lot easier than I thought it would. Touch wood, I’ve not had too many hurdles with the actual injury and the rehab itself was in steps so it kind of went quite quickly and wasn’t too difficult.

‘Another thing that helped a lot, getting me through it, was the fans, who have been behind me the whole way, since the day I got injured against Juventus to today. The fans have been with me the whole way and they have also given me the confidence to push to get back quickly and be back playing in front of them.’

After starting our 1-0 win at Everton on the opening day of this season, when Chilwell played just over an hour, the next stage in his return to full fitness arrived earlier this week, when he featured throughout a development squad fixture against Fulham at Kingsmeadow.

‘We lost the game, but personally for myself it was nice to get 90 minutes. It’s been several months since I’ve played 90 minutes and the manager keeps saying to me I need to get my fitness back, get back up to speed.

‘Training’s one thing, that’s what every footballer knows. You can train as much as you want, but the match is completely different and you need to get match time to make sure that you’re ready. I spoke to the manager and it was important I played that game on Monday, just to get the 90 minutes in my legs and give me that confidence going forward.

‘For my fitness levels, I played the 90 on Monday and felt really good. Confidence-wise, mentally, physically, I’m in a great headspace. I’m ready to help the team, I’ve made the manager aware that I’m ready to help the team. I feel like I can do that now but there’s a lot of quality players in the squad and we’re all fighting for the same positions. All I can do is train hard and let the manager know that I’m ready.’

One of those quality players vying with Chilwell for a spot in the starting XI is Marc Cucurella, who joined the Blues from Brighton shortly before the start of this season. However, the England international believes tough competition for places is to be expected at this level and is just part of life for every professional footballer, as well as a source of motivation to keep improving.

‘Obviously it’s going to be a battle between us but it’s a competitive battle that we’re both going to thrive off and help the team. It’s a similar thing that I’ve had my whole career, the same as anyone. I had it with Christian Fuchs at Leicester, I’ve had it with Marcos the past few years, so it’s nothing new.

‘It’s the same for everyone. You can ask anyone in that changing room, everyone’s fighting for positions with talented players. We’re at Chelsea and it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, we’re going to have very talented players in each position. Obviously that’s a positive for the club and for the group, because we’re pushing each other every day in training to make sure you get the start and it raises everyone’s level.’

It remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel will give Chilwell the nod to feature in our next match at Leeds, which would be the wing-back’s first experience of playing in front of fans at Elland Road, with his only previous appearance there coming in an empty stadium during Covid restrictions, when he was part of the Chelsea side which drew 0-0 in March of last year.

However, he feels even then you could feel the rivalry between the two clubs, which dates back more than 50 years to the epic ties of the late Sixties and early Seventies, including our 1970 FA Cup final victory, and there is no question of the intensity our opponents will bring to the pitch.

‘Even with no fans it was still a very tough game and you could tell there’s a rivalry there. Everyone knows what Leeds are about. They run a lot, they’re very competitive, they’re very aggressive and they’re a very talented team.

‘Leeds always back themselves physically, that they can play a very open style of match because they’re a very fit squad and have been since coming up into the Premier League. I think they’re confident they can potentially out-run teams and maybe bully teams in a physical aspect.

‘I’ve not played at Elland Road with fans but I’ve heard that it’s a very hostile environment, they’re a very good fanbase which pushes their team a lot. The fans are only going to add to the competitiveness and the rivalry, so we all expect a very tough game, a very physical game, and we’ve just go to make sure we’re focused on our game plan.’