Is the United Strand a millionaire? Man Utd fan Frank Ilett speaks out on earnings from viral hair-growing stunt

The United Strand's stunt began as a result of the Red Devils' inconsistency over the past year or so. In October 2024, he vowed not to cut his hair again until United had won five matches in a row and he has become a social media sensation during that time, posting hair updates while his favoured team struggled on the pitch.

Former manager Ruben Amorim just could not get his side to put together a consistent run of results, with his longest winning streak coming in two separate three-match spells. He was dismissed in January earlier this year, with Michael Carrick being named the club's interim manager until the end of the season after Darren Fletcher presided over a couple of fixtures as caretaker.

Carrick has engineered a four-game winning streak, picking up notable scalps against Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches before a dramatic 3-2 win over Fulham and a straightforward 2-0 success over Tottenham Hotspur following Cristian Romero's red card. United are in action again on Tuesday night when they face West Ham United at the London Stadium and a win would mean their famous fan gets a first haircut in over 15 months.

The stunt has no doubt added some much-needed levity to a United fanbase that was previously down in the dumps over their team's poor form. It has also seen some onlookers question how much money the United Strand - real name Frank Ilett - has made since it started. He has been spotted in Paddy Power adverts and has set up an e-commerce business.

He told The Sun: “I’m definitely not the millionaire that some people think I am. There’s been a lot of talk about making millions, but that isn’t the case. It’s not as well paid as some people think. But that’s not why I started it in the first place.

“The real pain has been not being able to see properly. It’s actually lucky that I wear glasses because the frames kind of prop my fringe up a bit. I can hardly see most of the time now. It needs to get gone.”

Ilett also revealed children's charity the Little Princess Trust will receive a donation from the funds he has raised so far. The charity provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other conditions.

Frank said: “I’m also doing a fundraiser for them. I think we’ve raised about £6,000 for them so far. It’s a really great charity, with great people there too. The length of my hair is 25cm now, which is thankfully long enough to be able to donate.”

He is also planning to continue creating content, telling 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."

The feat could finally come to an end on Tuesday night when United battle West Ham. While the Red Devils have been in great form since Carrick's arrival, the Hammers are in good touch themselves. Nuno Espirito Santo's side have won three out of their last four Premier League matches to lift them to within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, with Crysencio Summerville particularly impressive with goals in five consecutive matches in all competitions.

If the Red Devils can book the United Strand's trip to the barber with a fifth win, they would move into third, above Aston Villa on goal difference before Unai Emery's team take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.