Video: Is Salem Al-Dawsari turning into a substitute at Al-Hilal?

What awaits the "Tornado"?

Salem Al-Dawsari made his long-awaited comeback from injury against Al-Hazem, but the manner of it has thrown up questions over where the Al-Hilal captain fits into Simone Inzaghi's plans. The Italian handed him just the final minute off the bench as his side edged a 1-0 win over Al-Hazem in the tenth round of the Saudi Roshn League.

That cameo marked Salem's first action of the season. He had been sidelined since suffering a knee tendon injury on World Cup duty with Saudi Arabia, going under the knife last July.

His return arrives, though, with the left wing under heavy competition. Dutchman Crysencio Summerville has seized on the Saudi captain's absence to deliver some eye-catching displays.

Will Salem Al-Dawsari remain on the bench?

Several analysts on the "Dawrina Gheir" programme agreed that Salem will struggle to win his place back in a hurry. Inzaghi is spoilt for choice in attack, and Summerville's form on the left wing only strengthens that view.

Ahmed Atif reckoned Salem would stay a substitute for the rest of the season. He predicted the captain would not play ahead of Summerville on the left, a nod to how hard it is to shift the Italian's key men amid the fierce competition in the squad.

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Sultan Al-Lahyani, for his part, felt Inzaghi might get use out of Salem in a central role, but he ruled out a return to the starting XI on the left wing. Abdulrahim Al-Jizawi stressed that Al-Dawsari is a great player, yet argued that dropping one of the coach's central men to fit him in would be a tall order, tipping him to remain a substitute.

Those verdicts frame Salem's comeback as a clear technical challenge. It is not simply about rediscovering his sharpness after surgery. He must also see off players who thrived in his absence, Summerville chief among them.

A handful of minutes against Al-Hazem, mind you, tells us little about his role for the rest of the campaign. The coaching staff may well prefer to ease him back and let him rebuild his rhythm bit by bit.

So the question hangs between the analysts' forecasts and Salem's standing at Al-Hilal: will the captain of "the Boss" accept a bench role in the weeks ahead, or force his way back into Inzaghi's XI? The answer will emerge as his minutes grow and as he proves whether he can hit his pre-injury level, with the race for attacking berths in this squad as hot as ever.