Kane has missed 12 weeks of the season with two ankle injuries but has still netted 19 league goals — four behind Romelu Lukaku, who scored twice in Everton’s 4-2 win over Leicester on Sunday.

The England striker returned to the Spurs squad against Watford after a month on the sidelines, coming off the bench as Alli moved on to 16 league goals with a stunning opener in a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane.

Kane wants to match his tally of 25 goals from last season, but he knows Alli — who has scored 10 goals in 13 league games this year — could yet finish ahead of him.

“I told him to try to catch me! I told him to try to get that 20-goal mark — for a midfielder that’s unbelievable,” Kane said after playing the final half-an-hour against Watford.

“If you want to be title contenders, you need two or three players getting double figures and if another player can get 20-plus goals this season, it really helps the team.

“Dele has been fantastic — to get 16 Premier League goals this year has been amazing. Hopefully he can get to that 20-mark and I can get to that 25-mark and we’ll see what happens.

“He’s got that mentality when he’s in the box. You saw [when he scored] against Swansea midweek, just that reading where the ball is going to land and getting a tap-in — they’re important. You used to see players like [Frank] Lampard do that all the time. He’s a similar sort of player.

“That’s what Dele has got to try to do — get goals season in, season out, inside the box, outside the box like today. Scoring all different types of goals is important for him.”

Asked if he could retain the Golden Boot, Kane said: “Definitely. Obviously I’m still a few behind [Lukaku] but it’s all to play for. There’s seven games left in the league and hopefully I can stay fit for them and we’ll see what happens.”

Alli is not the only Spurs player challenging Kane to finish the season as the club’s top scorer. Son Heung-Min’s brilliant brace against Watford moved him to 18 goals for the season in total, although six have come in the FA Cup with another in the Champions League.

“He’s a goal scorer. That’s his 11th league goal of the season, right and left foot — he can go either way, he’s got fantastic technique and I think he’s growing in confidence,” Kane said.

“The more he scores, the more he shoots and feels confident… even after that one he missed at the end [vs. Watford]! He’ll go again next week and be on the scoresheet. He’s also got great crosses so he’s another attacking-midfielder/striker who can score and assist goals, which is great for us.”

On his ankle injury, Kane said: “It’s probably not 100 percent. When I came back last time for the Arsenal game, it wasn’t 100 percent but it’s getting close.

“It gives me another week now to prepare and I’m pretty sure it’ll be 100 percent against Bournemouth next week.”