Manchester United fan and social media influencer Frank Ilett, better known as The United Strand, has hit the milestone of 500 days without cutting his hair until his beloved Red Devils win five games in a row. Ilett came close to shaving off his curls last week, before United drew with West Ham, halting their run at four wins in a row, agonizingly short of his target.
The United Strand’s rise to fame
Back in October 2024, The United Strand channel was born, with Ilett sitting down in front of a camera and claiming that he would not be cutting his hair until United won five consecutive games. Since then, the Red Devils have been through three different managers, a series of highs and lows, but have never been able to get the job done.
Tomas Soucek’s goal was the difference between him being able to finally shed the hair, but instead, he must now continue growing it.
The United Strand’s campaign did not gain much traction at first, but as the months crept by, and his hair became longer and more noticeable, football fans have taken a keen interest in his journey.
Across all platforms, Ilett has accrued thousands of followers and built a brand for himself. He has starred in mainstream adverts and worked with major companies as his cause spread across the globe.
Plans to celebrate latest milestone
A week after that agonising draw with West Ham, Ilett has announced on social media that he will be commemorating the 500-day mark by giving away a signed United shirt.
In a post, he said: “Not only is it day 500, but it’s Chinese New Year, the year of the horse, and pancake day,” Ilett said on Instagram as he pulled both a toy horse and a pancake from his hair.
“To mark the day I’ll be doing a giveaway of a signed shirt on my Instagram page later today, so keep an eye out.”
United Strand divides the dressing room
Both head coach Michael Carrick and the likes of Matheus Cunha have publicly acknowledged Ilett’s challenge, which is being done for charity. However, the response from inside the dressing has been one of frustration, with players claiming that it is taking the focus away from their efforts and putting more pressure on them.
Club legend Wayne Rooney slammed The United Strand during a recent podcast, admitting the entire saga was driving him mad. Speaking on the ‘No Tippy Tappy Football’ podcast, he said: “I’d put him to the other side of the country. He’s doing my head in.
“We’re talking about Michael Carrick and Man United trying to win their fifth game in a row, and the whole thing is about to get this guy his hair cut. I bet he’d be devastated if Man Utd win the fifth game, because all of a sudden he’s irrelevant.”
Cunha followed a similar path, adding: “People are more worried about getting five wins because of the haircut than about the 15 points.
“So, I’m more for the 15 points, I don’t care about his haircut at all. We talk about it sometimes, but it’s not very motivating for us. We don’t see it as cool. No-one wants those five wins more than we do, or more wins, whatever. But I think having this pressure from his haircut hides a bit of the beauty that could be in the season, you know?”
March the next opportunity for a trip to the barbers
With the win counter now reset to zero, Ilett will not be able to visit his barber until at least March 20. However, for that to happen, United must beat Everton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
It is not an impossible task, considering the previous run included wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
First up for Carrick’s men is a trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, a tough test for the club, despite having had nearly two weeks off, after they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Brighton.
