Manchester United Transfer Rumors: Eden Hazard's Decision Won't Harm Man U

Eden Hazard has decided where he'll play football next season, and though the rumors swirling suggest that it won't be at Old Trafford, Manchester United may still take comfort in knowing that they've dodged a bullet of sorts.

The Lille talisman took to Twitter on Monday to announce, briefly and somewhat cryptically, that he had chosen an English Premier League powerhouse—between Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea—with which he would continue his burgeoning career:

good afternoon guys. i made up my mind. see you later. thanks

— Eden hazard (@hazardeden10) May 28, 2012

About 16 minutes later, Tottenham Hotspur striker Louis Saha, who played for United from 2004 until 2008, gave his own reaction to the "news":

I wish Tottenham or Man United to get him. There is plenty of goals and assists in him. Good tricks too but he s very effective player.

— louis saha (@louissaha08) May 28, 2012

And 25 minutes thereafter, Saha seemed to spoil Hazard's surprise:

Apparently on his way to Chelseafc. @hazardeden10

— louis saha (@louissaha08) May 28, 2012

Whether or not Saha's revelation prompted Hazard to announce for Chelsea just hours later remains to be seen, though the Belgian wunderkind cleared the air himself later on nonetheless:

I'm signing for the champion's league winner.

— Eden hazard (@hazardeden10) May 28, 2012

How Saha knew and why he chose to upstage Hazard in this manner are intriguing subplots for a football soap opera that's sure to be played out in the British tabloids.

In the meantime, legions of Red Devils supporters, no doubt disappointed by the outcome i, can at least take comfort in knowing (or, rather, believing) that Hazard isn't headed to Manchester City.

Sir Alex Ferguson won't have to worry himself with Roberto Mancini bolstering his stores (and his squad's Premiership title defense) with Europe's hottest starlet of the offseason.

Not that Fergie really concerns himself with the machinations of his competitors.

A move to Chelsea would seem just as dangerous on the surface. After all, the Blues just secured a double with the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League with a squad that was long in years and short on its ability to play a brand of football that doesn't involve parking the bus.

Adding a talent of Hazard's caliber, then, would seem to move Chelsea away from a survivalist style and back toward the dominating brand of football they played in the earlier years of the Roman Abramovich era.

But, by the same token, one man—even one as precocious as Hazard—does not a champion make, and Chelsea are still a ways away from being champions of the EPL again.

Luck and guile may allow a side to sneak its way to Cups and European crowns, but those qualities alone cannot keep a club afloat over the course of a 38-game schedule.

Chelsea's sixth-place finish in the league table stands as proof of as much.

Andre Villas-Boas' attempt to install younger players into a more Iberian style incited a mutiny amongst the club's elder statesmen and a subsequent slide that led to his sacking.

Roberto Di Matteo did well to pick up the pieces as caretaker manager (hence, the double), but still couldn't quite goad the Blues into a top-four spot in the league table.

Luckily for him, that didn't matter in the end, though according to ESPN Soccernet, RDM's performance in the Premiership left Abramovich somewhat reluctant to retain him on the touchline for another year.

In any case, even a double as glorious as the one Chelsea secured cannot paper over the problems that remain at Stamford Bridge. Neither can Hazard, unless he can somehow spark new life into Fernando Torres, re-invigorate a defense that performed well in big games but was spotty in the Premiership and teach John Terry how to mind his manners.

Meanwhile, United remain well within striking distance of knocking their "noisy neighbors" from their newfound perch and reclaiming the domestic throne.

For all their fitness concerns, Man U still managed to finish tied on points with City, and would've claimed the crown had Mancini's side not slotted home a pair of miraculous stoppage-time goals against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season.

(Note: avoiding a late-season slide of their own would've helped United's cause as well.)

Realistically, then, United aren't far off and should be able to compete for a league title even without Hazard on board. Their back line will be bolstered by the return to fitness of skipper Nemanja Vidic, as will their midfield by the health of Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Nani and Darren Fletcher.

Had Hazard wound up in the "wrong hands" at the Etihad, though, cash-strapped United might have been left far behind at the starting line.

Luckily for those who wear red, those "what ifs" will be cause for sleepless nights no more.

Follow @Josh_E_Martin