Erik Lamela believes he is on the brink of rediscovering the form that persuaded Tottenham to make him their record signing.

Spurs paid Roma £30million for Lamela, 22, in the summer of 2013 but so far, due to injuries and a struggle to adapt to English football, he has struggled to justify that transfer fee.

Yet there are finally signs that Lamela is moving close to his best. Even though Tottenham were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester, the Argentine attacker was dangerous throughout on his return from a calf injury.

He will probably have a role to play in Wednesday Capital One Cup semi-final at Sheffield United, which Spurs approach holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

“I lost a bit of physical condition during the time I was out injured but the 90 minutes against Leicester helped me a lot and in these coming days I expect to be back at peak level,” Lamela told Standard Sport.

“I think I’m getting used to English football and I think I have improved a lot, but I can still give a lot more. I can score many more goals, too, because I’m not doing that as much as I did earlier in my career.

“I’m starting to show something of what I can do. I’m training very hard to reach that level and I’m working hard to achieve that every day. I’m very happy playing wide on the right of the attack, which I feel is my best position.”

Tottenham have not won a trophy since lifting the Carling Cup in 2008, and Lamela has a particular desire to end that seven-year itch after his Roma career concluded in disappointment.

Lamela’s last competitive game for Roma was the final of the Coppa Italia – Italy’s equivalent of the FA Cup – in which Lamela’s team were beaten 1-0 by their city rivals Lazio in May 2013.

The only way for Lamela to bury that memory is to reach Wembley with Spurs this week and then help them to victory in the final on March 1.

“To win a trophy here is what I want the most,” he said. “To win a cup is everything I hope for. It’s a shame we were knocked out of the FA Cup and it was a result that disappointed everyone, because some great teams were eliminated and we had the chance to go further.

“But we’re still in other competitions and we can fight all the way to the end in those. We can compete with any team we face.”

Lamela has already made 29 appearances this term for Spurs – 12 more than he managed in the whole of a debut campaign wrecked by injury.

A back problem meant Lamela did not play for Spurs after December 29, 2013 and ultimately cost him the chance of a place in Argentina’s World Cup squad. Did Lamela’s price tag mean the original expectations on him were excessive?

“It’s normal that after everything I’d done, people would expect a lot of me,” he added. “But now I feel much better from a physical point of view. I feel good, I feel strong and I have a rhythm of playing matches, which makes everything easier for me.”

Tottenham v Leicester - player ratings 4 show all Tottenham v Leicester - player ratings 1/4 Michel Vorm: 4 His howler in stoppage time presented Jeff Schlupp with the winner. Earlier, he was perhaps lucky to avoid a penalty and a red card when Andrej Kramaric fell over his outstretched leg. GETTY 2/4 Danny Rose: 6 Neither he nor Ben Davies is doing quite enough to make the left-back spot his own. Determined as always but made a couple of mistakes that could have been costly. Getty 3/4 Etienne Capoue: 6 A bit like Dembele: with his athleticism and powerful frame, he should be a key man for a team like Spurs, but is let down too often by poor concentration. GETTY 4/4 Andros Townsend: 5 Five out of five from the penalty spot this season but he lacked the sparkle of his most effective days and his defensive play was sloppy. Sub (64 mins): Christian Eriksen 6. Mauricio Pochettino would have preferred not to use him but with the tie in the balance, he sent on one of his key men. GETTY 1/4 Michel Vorm: 4 His howler in stoppage time presented Jeff Schlupp with the winner. Earlier, he was perhaps lucky to avoid a penalty and a red card when Andrej Kramaric fell over his outstretched leg. GETTY 2/4 Danny Rose: 6 Neither he nor Ben Davies is doing quite enough to make the left-back spot his own. Determined as always but made a couple of mistakes that could have been costly. Getty 3/4 Etienne Capoue: 6 A bit like Dembele: with his athleticism and powerful frame, he should be a key man for a team like Spurs, but is let down too often by poor concentration. GETTY 4/4 Andros Townsend: 5 Five out of five from the penalty spot this season but he lacked the sparkle of his most effective days and his defensive play was sloppy. Sub (64 mins): Christian Eriksen 6. Mauricio Pochettino would have preferred not to use him but with the tie in the balance, he sent on one of his key men. GETTY

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make for the Sheffield United game regarding his goalkeeper.

Michel Vorm has played in all the domestic cup matches this season but his late error against Leicester gifted a goal to Jeff Schlupp and sent Spurs crashing out. Vorm said: “I won’t know about it until the day before the game but I hope they give me the chance to play on Wednesday.”