Harry Kane is confident he is heading back into his best form after scoring two in two in December already.

Despite criticism at the start of the season Kane now has 14 goals this term, and is starting to look close to his old sharpness. He scored a crucial winner for England against Croatia at Wembley on 18 November before hitting a brilliant strike from long-range against Chelsea the following week.

After scoring five in six in November, Kane has started this month in similar form, with a penalty against Arsenal and a simple finish against Southampton. And speaking after the Saints game, he said that this time of the year, December and January, when the games come every three days, is when he plays his best football. Because this is when he gets into a rhythm of fitness and goal-scoring, and then there is no stopping him. Especially when defenders start to tire and shooting becomes slightly easier than it was.

The evidence backs Kane up. He scored nine goals in December and January of the 2014-15 season, his first as a first-team regular. He got six goals in 12 games in the December and January of 2015-16. In 2016-17 Kane scored nine in 11 across these months, including a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion. And last year he managed an explosive 14 in 13, including consecutive hat-tricks against Burnley and Southampton.

“It’s these sort of periods in my career where I’m at my best”, Kane reflected on Wednesday night. “It might be down to fitness as well. When teams are tired I exploit the space a bit more. In December, January I hit top form. And winning games is important at this period as well.”

And the heavy workload of games keeps Kane sharp. “You don’t think too much. If you miss a couple of chances you get back quickly. I just get into a rhythm. You know where the spaces are, you know where the ball is going to drop.”

After his slow start to the season, Kane is still catching up in the Golden Boot race but is now just one goal behind Pierre Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal. And having won the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Russia this summer, he is confident of regaining his Premier League goalscoring title this season.