Monk has a selection dilemma after suspension and injury stripped him of the services of Kalvin Phillips and Eunan O’Kane.
Phillips is set to serve a one-match ban after his red card at Brighton on Friday and O’Kane’s ongoing groin problem had already ruled him out of a third successive game, depriving Monk of what was an established partnership in the centre of midfield.
Liam Bridcutt has only just resumed full training, three months after fracturing a foot bone, and Monk chose not to risk the 27-year-old during Leeds’ 2-0 defeat to Brighton.
The United boss looked likely to put Bridcutt through an Under-23 outing before considering him for the first team again.
With this shortage in the middle it could see both Murphy and Diagouraga make sensational comebacks with one of them possibly partnering 18-year-old Ronaldo Vieira against Jaap Stam’s Royals.
Both players were banished from the squad listing earlier in the season but both were also omitted from today’s U23 game at Sheffield Wednesday, along with Bridcutt.
Diagouraga, 29, started for Leeds in the opening league fixture against QPR in a 3-0 defeat, However after that, the former Brentford midfielder was dropped from following Leeds squads.
Murphy, 27, made his first appearance for Leeds in August, starting in Leeds’ League Cup win against Luton Town, but has not featured since.
Leeds have also been without Pablo Hernandez for the past month and Monk revealed that the former Valencia player is still around 10 days away from recovering fully from a hamstring strain.
The spate of absences has not impacted United’s league form and the club are sixth in the table ahead of tonight’s meeting with third-placed Reading.
The Berkshire club are thriving under Stam – the ex-Manchester United defender who replaced former Leeds United boss Brian McDermott as manager at the Madejski Stadium in the summer –having started the season as outsiders for promotion.