A viral Manchester United fan who has pledged to not cut his hair until the team win five games in a row has been ruthlessly mocked by a former Liverpool star after his counter was set back to zero on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest star Neco Williams, formerly of United’s fierce rivals Liverpool, took to X to taunt Frank Illett, known as The United Strand, after the Red Devils were held to a 2-2 draw at the City Ground.
‘That trim might have to wait,’ he posted after the game.
Illett was closing in on a long-awaited haircut, with United enjoying a three-match winning run before Saturday’s fixture. He began his challenge last October as a way to ‘spread some humour’ amid a difficult period for the club and has seen his social media following sky rocket to 595,000 fans on Instagram.
‘Absolute heartbreak!’ Ilett posted to his Instagram story on Saturday, accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
Before Saturday, United had won three matches in a row, beating Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton.
A viral Manchester United fan who has refused to cut his hair until his side win five days in a row has shared his heartbreak at the Red Devils dropping points
Frank Ilett has passed a year since cutting his hair and his counter will now start from zero once again
They could have made it five if they got the better of Nottingham Forest and Tottenham in their next two matches, but a 2-2 draw with Forest at the City Ground means Illet has to start again.
Ilett is now nearing 400 days with his gigantic hair. Manchester United’s fifth game from now is on December 8 against Wolves, meaning he will have to wait at least another five weeks until visiting the barber.
While Illett has drawn huge support from fans of all clubs during his marathon run, he was involved in an ugly altercation with a fellow United supporter during the team’s victory over Chelsea in September, with the other supporter grabbing his hair and attempting to shove him to the ground.
Ilett was pulled away but looked taken aback by the ordeal and managed to get some distance from the other fan who was restrained.
The furious supporter, who seemed to take issue with Ilett’s challenge, then said: ‘F*** off, f*** off, I’ll do what I f***ing want.
‘Listen, he’s not a United f***ing fan, so f*** off, f*** off.’
In the video, which went viral on social media, the fan then attempted to make a move for Ilett again but was unsuccessful.
Posting on his Instagram page after the victory, it didn’t appear that Ilett’s day was soured by the incident, however.
Sharing a photo of himself in the stands, he said: ‘What a place. Wet hair, but still a smile on my face! A big win today! What a crazy game it was in the end! 1 down, 4 to go. COME ON UNITED!’
United have since banned the individual who attacked Illett.
It comes after United drew 2-2 away from home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday
Ilett has more than 580,000 followers on Instagram and had been two games away from being able to cut his hair
In September, Ilett was attacked by a fellow supporter at United’s game against Chelsea
Meanwhile, betting firm Paddy Power – who are known for their quirky skits – have leant into the online talking point in a new advert.
‘It does make me sad actually,’ the barber is seen saying in the video. ‘I miss him. He is one of my best customers. Well, he used to be.
‘He doesn’t even bother to make appointments anymore. What’s the point?’
Ilett can then be seen saying: ‘It just started as a bit of fun really. I didn’t expect it to go on this long, but it’s actually fine. If I’m having a bad hair day, I can just put on a hat.’
The barber continues: ‘Two things you stay loyal to: your football club and your barbers. Now I wonder, will I ever see him again?’
The skit then cuts to Frank discussing a number of free gifts he has received, saying that companies have been battling to be the ones to carry out the haircut ‘when the time comes’.
After suggesting Anthony Gordon has the ‘weirdest hair in football’, Ilett is seen running into his barbers, shouting: ‘It’s time!’ as his barber embraces him, questioning: ‘Man United have won five in a row?’
Letting his barber know that it is in fact just three, he tells him he will be booked in for when the time does eventually come. ‘I’ll be back soon,’ he says, as he leaves.
The skit then cuts to six months’ time, and the barber is seen sweeping hair and looking out the window, with Ilett walking past with an even larger afro than what he is currently donning.
The video ends with the barber saying: ‘F***ing United.’
