Reasons the viral haircut challenge among Manchester United supporters may continue for an extended period

Current and former Manchester United players discussed fan Frank Ilett — referred to as “The United Strand” — and his viral haircut challenge prior to their recent Premier League match against West Ham United two weeks ago. This topic was the primary focus of journalists’ inquiries directed at head coach Michael Carrick and served as the most captivating prematch discussion for television analysts.

“I have no interest in his haircut whatsoever,” United midfielder Matheus Cunha stated in the lead-up to the match, while Old Trafford icon Paul Scholes remarked: “I just hope they secure a victory tomorrow night so that lad can finally get his haircut.”

Ilett’s challenge also dominated the postmatch conversation, as United missed the opportunity to achieve a fifth consecutive win that would have allowed him to cut his hair for the first time in over a year. Instead, they settled for a 1-1 draw, which would have resulted in a loss had Benjamin Sesko not scored with a brilliant flicked finish deep into stoppage time.

This outcome meant that United remained in fourth place, their pursuit of qualification for the next season’s Champions League continued to gain momentum, and Carrick preserved his unbeaten record. It also indicated that Ilett’s challenge, which commenced in October 2024, would extend for a while longer.

Last week, Ilett celebrated Day 500, with his hair longer than ever. If United fails to achieve five consecutive wins in their remaining 12 matches of this season, the challenge will carry over into the next season, which starts in August. That translates to an additional six months.

Thus, if it is to conclude before the 2025-26 season wraps up, what is the best opportunity for that to happen?

Five-game win streaks aren’t that hard

In an interview with ESPN in October to commemorate the one-year milestone of his challenge, Ilett acknowledged that things had not unfolded as expected. “I thought it would only last a few months and be a bit of fun,” he shared. “It was intended to bring some humor to Manchester United fans during a challenging time.”

“At that moment, it didn’t seem unrealistic, because the previous season, they had achieved five consecutive victories.”

Ilett initiated his challenge eight months after United’s last five-game win streak, which they accomplished between January and February 2024. One can understand why he believed it wouldn’t take long. There have been 333 instances of five-game win streaks across all competitions in the Premier League era (since 1992-93). United themselves have completed 58 of those. It shouldn’t take that long… should it?

Ten teams have managed to win five consecutive matches since United last did so. These teams include Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham Hotspur. Typically, these occurrences happen with little fanfare: The most recent example was when City narrowly defeated Newcastle 2-1 for their fifth consecutive win across all competitions.

However, for an extended period, United struggled to come close to replicating that success. Under former manager Ruben Amorim, United only achieved three consecutive wins once — a brief period last January when they triumphed over Rangers and Fenerbahce in the Europa League, along with a league victory against Fulham.

Ilett may have aimed to provide some “fun” for United supporters during a difficult time for the club, but that message has not always resonated.

“He is driving me crazy,” United legend Wayne Rooney expressed on the BBC’s No Tippy, No Tappy podcast before the draw against West Ham.

“We are discussing Michael Carrick and Manchester United striving for their fifth consecutive win, and the entire focus is on this guy getting his haircut. I bet he is heartbroken if Manchester United wins because he will become irrelevant.”

Predicting where the challenge could end

This is where mathematics comes into play. United have only 12 matches remaining in a 40-game season, due to the lack of European football and early exits from the Carabao Cup (against Grimsby Town) and FA Cup (against Brighton).

Admittedly, this is not the easiest stretch. Only five of their 12 matches are against teams in the bottom half of the table. However, three of those matches are in their final three fixtures. Utilizing Opta’s latest power ranking data, along with considering home advantage, United’s statistically most favorable stretch is their last five matches.

There is also a time-sensitive aspect to consider. If United do not secure five consecutive victories before the season concludes, Ilett will have to wait until the next Premier League season begins on August 22, at which point it will be Day 688 … and counting.