With this Saturday’s potentially thrilling Merseyside derby looming large, tensions are sure to be running high in both camps. And with fans of each club excited for the second cross-town rivalry of the Premier League season, many are already speculating as to who will start the match. And Aiden McGeady is one such Everton player some are starting to wonder might not even feature.

Wing-wizard McGeady has started the club’s most recent three matches and has been playing more and more in the team of late – but question marks continue to hover over his ability to perform the right job on Everton’s flanks.

And one such man who thinks this Saturday could signal the beginning of the end for the ex-Celtic man is Liverpool club legend Phil Thompson.

As reported by the Irish Independent, The Reds hero doesn’t think McGeady has what it takes to fend off the advances of new club arrival Aaron Lennon:

“And he is bound to realise that. So the big worry for me, with regards to Aiden, is Aaron Lennon’s arrival, particularly as his proposed move to Stoke broke down when they couldn’t guarantee him a starting place. Within hours, Lennon had signed for Everton, which makes you wonder if Roberto Martinez offered him a place in his first XI. If so, then who is going to make way for him?”

Indeed, Lennon looks hungry for first-team football and he could very well shunt McGeady out to the sidelines more often than he’s already been. At White Hart Lane, the England international was under-used by Mauricio Pochettino and is likely eyeing up the next few months as a chance to kick-start a late career renaissance.

With the Republic of Ireland international likely very eager to keep up a regular flow of minutes, especially with a year of important European qualifiers on the horizon, it’s going to be interesting to see who comes out atop this battle.

Having only appeared 14 times for The Blues in the league campaign so far this season, the Scottish-born midfielder hasn’t been a pillar to the set-up. Coming on as a substitute with regularity, the boss has attempted to use him as an impact player, something that has only worked from time-to-time. And, in truth, the former Spartak Moscow midfielder has seemed relatively content with that role.

But with a pacey Lennon now involved, we could well see a different side to his character. The next few weeks should really tell us a lot more.

One thing that is clear though is that if both players show an eagerness and a willingness to put in a spirited shift every time they take to the park, Roberto Martinez will have a headache trying to decide who makes the cut regularly.

But that can only be a good thing. After all, spirited competition for places is really what all top-flight managers want to see. And with Europa League fixtures also on the horizon, there’s bound to be plenty of opportunities for both stars to shine.

Do you think McGeady will improve now that Lennon is on board?