Who is the United Strand? The Manchester United fan who could finally get his hair cut

Manchester United's resurgence continues on Tuesday night when they travel to relegation threatened West Ham United in the Premier League. 

But it's not just the prospect of going third in the table for United if they win, there is also the prospect of fan Frank Ilet, also known as The United Strand, finally getting his hair cut. 

After vowing not to cut his hair until United win five games in a row, Ilet is on the brink of this fad coming to an end.

Here is everything you need to know about the Ilet ahead of a huge night. 

Who is The United Strand? 

Ilet, who goes by the name of The United Strand, rose to prominence on social media with his Instagram account amassing 1.2 million followers. 

He made the decision to let his hair grow until United won five games in a row all the way back on October 5, 2024, when Erik ten Hag was in charge of the team. 

Since then, Ilet has seen two United managers sacked in the form of Ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, and now it looks like former player and club legend Michael Carrick could be the one to break the spell. 

When can The United Strand finally get his hair cut? 

Ilet's conditions were pretty simple, if United won five games in a row, he would cut his hair. 

It may have taken longer than expected, but United simply have to beat West Ham and then Ilet will finally be able to cut his hair. 

Arguably, this is the bigger storyline heading into the match, and while manager Carrick is aware of Ilet's challenge, he stated that it will not be something he will be thinking about come kick-off. 

"I can say I’m aware of it,” Carrick said. “My kids have made me aware of it if anything, but it certainly won’t go into the team talk, from a professional level.

“But I can understand what’s going on with it and it does make me smile, but it won’t have an impact ultimately in the end.”

Ilet will also be making a charity donation to the Little Princess Trust if and when he gets his haircut. The UK-based charity provides wigs to children who lost their hair due to illness.

However, if United fail to beat West Ham, then the streak resets for Ilet, who will have to wait for the Red Devils to put together another five-match winning run.

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