Manchester United fan Frank Ilett has missed out on getting his first haircut in 500 days after the team failed to secure a fifth consecutive win.
Ilett, 29, had promised in October 2024 that he would not cut his hair until the club had won five consecutive games, but United's struggles last season forced him to cut it longer than he had anticipated, resulting in an unusually long and comical hairstyle.
His daily videos on The United Strand have racked up millions of views, while Ilett had planned to donate his hair to The Princess Trust, a charity that provides wigs to children with cancer who lose their hair during treatment.
When Ilett took over, United were under Erik ten Hag, and when the manager was sacked, successor Ruben Amorim managed just a run of three consecutive wins during a difficult season.
Following Amorim's departure, Michael Carrick led United to four consecutive wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, setting up the opportunity for a fifth win in Tuesday's match against West Ham United.
But against an in-form West Ham, United could only manage a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium, with Benjamin Šeško's late goal in the 96th minute cancelling out Tomas Soucek's lead after a disallowed goal by Casemiro.
For Ilett, this means that the opportunity to cut his big hair, a moment he planned to share with his millions of followers on social media, is gone.
He actually went viral again with his reaction on the livestream he was hosting during the game.
His video of United conceding a goal to West Ham has been shared on the biggest football sites.
Former United midfielder Carrick, who replaced Amorim in January, said his children had made him aware of the importance of the opportunity to win against West Ham and that Ilett's challenge had made him smile.
"My kids made me aware of it, but it certainly won't come into the tactical conversation with the team from a professional level," Carrick said. "I can understand the situation and it makes me smile, but ultimately it won't have an impact."/Express newspaper/
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