Ben Chilwell may well have been injured for Chelsea's opening three games of the season but that hasn't prevented him from playing his way into the running for the GIVEMESPORT Fans' Player of the Month award.

The £50m signing from Leicester City has looked every bit as good as his price-tag suggests he is, providing a potent attacking outlet down Chelsea's left flank. 

Chilwell joins Karl Darlow, Jack Grealish, Mo Salah, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Harry Kane on a star-studded six-man shortlist. 

In the modern era £50m has become the standard market price for Premier League clubs who wish to sign a high quality, homegrown full-back from a fellow domestic rival.

Manchester City set the tone back in 2017 by landing Kyle Walker for a fee in the region of £50m, while a £47.5m move for John Stones also gave clubs extra justification to demand lofty sums that once raised eyebrows even when they were shelled out for elite attacking talents (see Fernando Torres' move to Chelsea).

Manchester United then went and splashed out £50m on Aaron Wan-Bissaka despite the fact the Crystal Palace youngster had only enjoyed one full season in the Premier League. 

But while Chelsea were merely meeting the new industry standard market price, the move for arguably England's best and most trusted left-back still didn't have everyone totally convinced. 

After all, the 23-year-old is a classic modern day full-back in every sense of the word: incredibly athletic and forward-thinking, with excellent crossing ability and a palpable desire to get into the final-third as regularly as possible. 

The consequence for most attacking-minded full-backs is that inevitably their defensive traits are neglected and often underdeveloped. 

Chilwell has been criticised in the past for a perceived lack of positioning skills, with Rio Ferdinand identifying his 1v1 defending as a key area for improvement, per BT Sport (via Metro).

"Maybe his footwork needs to improve, his body position when going 1v1, but his intensity and physicality running forward and his quality when he gets in the oppositions half is up there with the best around at the moment."

However, there has been little sign of any defensive incompetency since he arrived at Stamford Bridge. 

Since moving into the starting XI against Crystal Palace, Chilwell has started four consecutive league games as he aims to establish himself as a permanent fixture on the left side of Frank Lampard's defensive unit. 

From a defensive standpoint he has been an assured presence. Chelsea have kept three clean sheets in the four games he has started, with Chilwell averaging 1.8 tackles, 1 interception, 2.3 clearances and 2 aerials won per game, per Whoscored.

In one v one situations, meanwhile, Chilwell has only been dribbled past once per game on average. That may not sound like a stat to be shouting about but, by way of comparison, it's worth noting that the seemingly indomitable N'Golo Kante has been dribbled past 0.9 times per game this season. Thou shall not pass.

The staples of Chilwell's game - sumptuous crosses and marauding runs we've come to expect from him - have naturally come to the fore in his eye-catching start to life in west London. 

Only seven players in the league average a higher number of key passes than Chilwell (2.3) this season. No other defensive player has averaged more than 1.9. 

Chilwell has got his just reward for those threatening passes by adding two assists to his tally this season while also notching a goal on his debut. 

Ahead of the proposed Euros next summer it looks as if the 23-year-old has firmly cemented his status as England's most complete left-back. 

The presence of Bukayo Saka will give give Gareth Southgate another enticing option in the event that he opts to go with a wing-back system rather than a flat back-four, but Chilwell's attacking prowess and extra experience should give him the nod over Arsenal's exciting prodigy. 

Does Chilwell get your vote? Have your say in the GIVEMESPORT Fans' Player of the Month award below.