Mauricio Pochettino has said that Mousa Dembélé is out until early January with an ankle ligament problem while Danny Rose is recovering more slowly than expected from groin trouble and is not expected to return this month.

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Dembélé, who has a history of foot injuries, suffered his latest setback in the 3-2 win at Wolves last Saturday. The midfielder avoided damage to the bone but scans have shown a problem with the ligaments. The 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season. Rose, meanwhile, has not featured since the 1-0 home win over Cardiff on 6 October.

“We hope that from the beginning of January Dembélé will be ready,” Pochettino said. “After that, it’s about the evolution, which is very dynamic and always it’s about the [individual] patient.

“With Rose it is a little bit longer than we expected. It might be difficult for the week after the international break but we will see. It may be a situation that can change quickly and be positive.”

Tottenham face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday – their fifth game in 13 days. Pochettino reported that Eric Dier (thigh) and Victor Wanyama (knee) had returned to full training and may be available; Dier had been expected to miss Palace and the international games with England, but he was called up by Gareth Southgate on Thursday.

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Pochettino was asked whether he would stand Dier down from England’s matches against the USA and Croatia if he did not play against Palace. “That I don’t know,” he replied. “If he is fit and the manager calls him, he must go. If I decide not to play him but he is fit, we will need to get permission as well from the national team.”

Pochettino said that Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are “building their fitness” after recent hamstring and abdominal problems respectively and with an eye on their upcoming international commitments, he may leave one or both out of the starting lineup against Palace.

“It was a tough game against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday and then they are going to move to the national team,” Pochettino said. “It will be tough to play two [international] games. That is why we need to care and send them really fresh. That is why we are thinking if they are going to play or not against Palace.

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“If you said to me: ‘Would I prefer all my international players stay here and rest for two weeks without competition?’ – I would say yes. But that is impossible and that’s why we are talking about Dele and Christian. If you see our schedule for the next few months, it will be so tough. How do you manage that? I understand we need to sacrifice some games for some players so they can cope with the demand in the future.”