Wayne Rooney hits out at 'irrelevant' United Strand amid Manchester United haircut stunt

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Evening Standard

·11 febbraio 2026

Wayne Rooney hits out at 'irrelevant' United Strand amid Manchester United haircut stunt

Social media star’s challenge goes on after close shave

Raging: Wayne Rooney and The United Strand

OneFootball Video

London Standard

Wayne Rooney has admitted that the media furore surrounding ‘The United Strand’ is “doing my head in”.

Frank Ilett, the Manchester United fan behind the viral sensation, had pledged back in October 2024 - when Erik ten Hag was still in charge at Old Trafford - that he would not cut his hair until the Red Devils had won five games in a row.

Since then, the club had not come close to completing that feat, until Tuesday’s game against West Ham, when interest and attention on Ilett intensified after Michael Carrick had led United to four victories on the spin.

Ilett has now gone 494 days without a haircut, and he is raising money for charity - The Little Princess Trust - along the way, and the total has amounted to £7,247 of his £10,000 target.

Ilett streamed a watchalong of United’s trip to West Ham, with a haircut and the end of his challenge hotly anticipated, but the draw at the London Stadium means that his wait will continue, and the run resets to zero.

Former United striker Rooney voiced his frustrations about Ilett’s challenge on the ‘No Tippy Tappy Football’ podcast.

“I’d put him to the other side of the country, he’s doing my head in,” the United legend said.

“We’re talking about Michael Carrick and Manchester United trying to win their fifth game in a row and the whole thing is about this guy getting his hair cut.

“I bet he’d be devastated if Manchester United win the fifth game because, all of a sudden, he’s irrelevant. It’s doing my head in.

“That’s where football has gone now with social media, we’re talking about a guy getting his hair cut if Manchester United win a game of football.”