Frank Ilett, The United Strand(Image credit: Stretford Paddock)Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet the FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterManchester United beating Manchester City in Michael Carrick's first game as the newly reinstalled interim head coach was significant for a number of reasons.The Red Devils sorely needed the result after sacking Ruben Amorim, for one, and to get it against Manchester City at Old Trafford was the perfect way for Carrick to start turning things around.In hindsight, we also know that it was the first win in a run of four. The consequences of that couldn't be more significant for viral star Frank Ilett, better known as 'The United Strand', who has been waiting almost 500 days for five wins in a row so he can finally get his hair cut.You may likeWho is The United Strand? Why Manchester United fan Frank Ilett is refusing to cut his hairHow long did it take the Premier League's greatest managers to win five games in a row? In ten years at Fulham, he has enjoyed three promotions, suffered two relegations and experienced plenty of highs and lows along the way... proof that there ain't nobody like Tom Cairney'I thought this would be kind of funny'"I started it because I wanted to spread some humour and positivity to Man United fans," Ilett tells FourFourTwo on the eve of the biggest football match of his hair's career."Really, we were going through a bit of a tough time at the time, and, yeah, it kind of felt like it just needed a bit of positivity. The other thing is that I felt like maybe people were underestimating Man United a little bit at the time, and I thought that we would be back to winning ways a lot sooner than than we were.A post shared by Frank Ilett (The United Strand) (@theunitedstrand)A photo posted by on "I never expected the challenge to go on for as long as it has, and, yeah, definitely didn't expect it to take off as much as it has, either."Ilett has quickly amassed an incredible 1.2 million followers on Instagram since his story captured the imagination of the football community. With the Red Devils sitting on four consecutive victories, he's ready for a different kind of take-off.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.If Manchester United beat West Ham at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Tuesday, Ilett's 492-day wait will be over, with Argos ready to step in with Fast Track delivery of trimmers, styling products and more as his Official Delivery Partner."I literally started a brand new channel called The United Strand, and just thought, 'Oh, this would be kind of funny to do for a few months,'" Ilett tells FourFourTwo."Maybe if I had supported someone else, it might have not gone quite as viral. But who knows? I think the way that my hair grows as well is probably one of the big reasons. It's slightly different, shall we say, unique, compared to a lot of other people.You may likeHow long did it take the Premier League's greatest managers to win five games in a row? In ten years at Fulham, he has enjoyed three promotions, suffered two relegations and experienced plenty of highs and lows along the way... proof that there ain't nobody like Tom Cairney'I was 31 before people started to ask me about the throw, I dont know what I was good at before that, but it must have something!' Rory Delap explains how his throw-in morphed into a psychological assault in the Barclays eraGet VIP tickets to Manchester United games HERE with Seat Unique!Manchester United's hospitality offers comfortable, padded seating in the North West Quadrant. The package includes a concourse meal deal (hot food, drink, and snack) and the official matchday programme. Guests also receive a 10 per cent Megastore discount and non-matchday Museum entry, providing a great value, family-friendly match experience for home fans.View DealWho exactly is The United Strand?"I started it to try and make a few people smile, make a few people laugh, and I feel like I've done that."Obviously, there's been a bit of negativity. Some people haven't taken it quite in the way that it was intended. But, yeah, I feel like it's kind of a good time for it to come to an end now anyway. [I'm] very much hoping for this fifth win."Ilett tells us that he's new to the world of football content. The United Strand has grown at a ludicrous pace and nothing in his life up to this point offered any indication of the viral success that was to come."I used to manage pubs and cafes, and then I had a bit of an admin job for a bit at the council," he says."Then I moved to Spain. My girlfriend's from Spain, so yeah, we moved to Spain and kind of took some savings with us and sold all of our things to live out here for a bit."We had a daughter, and so we we're kind of living off the savings to basically spend as much time with her as we can. And then about a year into living in Spain, I decided to pledge myself to a very weird challenge."It's definitely mission accomplished in that regard but if Carrick has anything to say about it, that very weird challenge will soon be over.When the time comes, Ilett will be ready."The first thing is it needs to be kind of cut off in bunches to be donated," he reveals, slightly worryingly."I think after that maybe just the buzz cut, start again and then and I'll go from there. I'll weigh up my options afterwards, but I feel like I need a fresh start."At the start I raised �500 for Mind UK and then once my hair started to get a bit longer, I thought it would be good to donate my hair at the end of it, so I'm going to donate it to The Little Princess Trust."I've been doing a fundraiser for them, which is around �6,000 at the moment, but lots of donations [have been] coming through since the fourth win."Number five might not be too far away, and while Ilett is making peace with the idea of getting a trim is a slight gamble on his team's ability to hold up their end this week, he's understandably looking forward to a more streamlined future."I'm planning to continue to make content," he tells FourFourTwo. "Maybe not as frequently, maybe not a daily thing or anything. But yeah, I'll still make football-related content, and probably try and branch out a little bit to some other stuff as well."TOPICSManchester UnitedPremier LeagueChris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance writer, Editor-in-Chief of AVillaFan.com, author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Northern Premier League Midlands Division club Coventry Sphinx. With contributions fromMatt FrohlichVideo Manager
