Hairy Manchester United fan Frank Ilett is hoping his team can see off West Ham tomorrow
Michael Carrick has several reasons for wanting his Manchester United team to win at West Ham tomorrow night but the appearance of supporter Frank Ilett is not one of them.
Ilett, who calls himself the ‘United Strand’, has gained fame on social media for vowing not to cut his hair until United won five successive games.
He has gone 492 days without taking the scissors to his curly mane but has never been closer to getting a much-needed trim.
@theunitedstrand Day 492 of not cutting my hair until @Manchester United win 5 games in a row! ⌛️ Current Streak – 4/5 #manunited #hairgrowth #mufc #hairchallenge #carrick
Four wins on the trot give hope to Ilett and Manchester United
Carrick has masterminded a United revival since replacing Ruben Amorim and they head to the London Stadium tomorrow night after back-to-back wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham.
Carrick says he has heard about Ilett but insists he won’t mention it when addressing his players before the game tomorrow night.
The United boss said: “I can say I’m aware of it, yeah. My kids have made me aware of it, if anything.
“It certainly won’t go into the team talk, from a professional level. I can understand and what’s going on with it and it does make me smile but it won’t have an impact ultimately in the end.”
West Ham will provide stern test for Manchester United
West Ham have enjoyed a recent revival of their own and three wins in four games have reignited their hopes of beating the drop. They will start the night just three points behind Nottingham Forest, who occupy the final position of safety.
“I think you’ve got to go into the game understanding the situation of both teams,” said Carrick, who played for both United and West Ham. “We’ve tried to paint that picture to the players in every game we’ve played so far, and it’ll be the same come Tuesday night. The type of game, the feel of the game, what kind of skills we’re going to have to try and draw on.
“Different games throw up different things and teams towards the bottom of the league are really fighting for things. But so are we, and we’ve got a lot to fight for, so you’d like to think that balances out in some ways. It’s who can come out on top at the end of it.
“But sure, we’re totally aware of what we’re going into on Tuesday night and how difficult it will be.”
