Manchester United players past and present were talking about fan Frank Ilett — known as “The United Strand” — and his viral haircut challenge ahead of their most recent Premier League clash, at West Ham United two weeks ago. It was journalists’ main line of questioning toward head coach Michael Carrick, and the most engaging prematch talking point for TV pundits.

“I don’t care about his haircut at all,” United midfielder Matheus Cunha said in the build-up to the game, while Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes said: “I just hope they win tomorrow night so that lad can get his haircut.”

Ilett’s challenge dominated the postmatch discourse, too, after United failed to register a fifth consecutive win which would have allowed Ilett to cut his hair for the first time in more than a year. Instead, they were held to a 1-1 draw which would have been a have been a defeat had Benjamin Sesko not scored with an exquisite flicked finish deep into added time.

The result meant that United remain in fourth place, that the club’s push to qualify for next season’s Champions League keeps momentum, and that Carrick maintained his unbeaten record. It also meant that Ilett’s challenge, which began in October 2024, would continue for a while longer.

Last week, Ilett marked Day 500, his mop of hair longer than ever. If United don’t manage to win five in a row in their remaining 12 games of this campaign, then the challenge will roll into next season, which begins in August. That’s six more months.

So, if it is to end before the 2025-26 season comes to an end, what’s the best chance of doing so?

Five-game win streaks aren’t that hard

In an interview with ESPN in October to mark the one-year anniversary of his challenge, Ilett admitted things hadn’t quite gone to plan. “I thought it would only go for a few months and be a bit of a laugh,” he said. “It was something to spread humour to Man United fans during a difficult period of time.

“It didn’t feel unrealistic then, because the season before, they had won five games in a row.”

Ilett began his challenge eight months after United’s most recent five-game win streak — which they completed between January and February 2024. You can forgive him for thinking it wouldn’t take long. There have been 333 five-game win streaks in all competitions in the Premier League era (since 1992-93). For their part, United completed 58 of them. It wouldn’t take that long… would it?

A total of 10 teams have won five consecutive games since United last did so. Those include Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. Most of the time, it happens with little fanfare: The latest example came at the weekend when City edged Newcastle 2-1 for their fifth-straight win in all competitions.

Still, for a long time, United never got close to doing the same. Only once did United manage three straight wins under former manager Ruben Amorim — a brief stretch last January in which them beat Rangers and Fenerbahce in the Europa League as well as a league win over Fulham.

Ilett may have wanted to provide some “fun” for United fans during a tough period for the club, but that message hasn’t always landed.

“He is doing my head in,” United legend Wayne Rooney told the BBC’s No Tippy, No Tappy podcast before the draw to West Ham.

“We are talking about Michael Carrick and Man United trying to win their fifth game in a row and the whole thing is about this guy getting his haircut. I bet he is devastated if Man United win because he will be irrelevant.”

Predicting where the challenge could end

This is where math comes into play. United have only 12 games left of a 40-game season, thanks to the absence of European football as well as early exits from the Carabao Cup (vs. Grimsby Town) and FA Cup (vs. Brighton).

Admittedly, it is not the easiest stretch. Only five of their 12 games come against bottom-half opposition. However, three of them come in their final three matches. Using Opta’s latest power ranking data, as well as factoring in home advantage, United’s statistically most favourable run is their final five games.

There is an against-the-clock element here, too. If United don’t win five games in a row between now and the end of the season, then Ilett will have to wait until the next Premier League season kicks off on Aug. 22, at which point it will be Day 688 … and counting.

Ben White could leave Arsenal this summer, while Luka Modric is reportedly open to returning home to Croatia. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades

TRENDING RUMORS

– Ben White‘s future at Arsenal is uncertain, with the club closely monitoring Sporting CP right-back Iván Fresneda, according to TeamTalk. Premier League title rivals Manchester City are also keen on the 21-year-old — their sporting director, Hugo Viana, who used to work at Sporting, has driven their interest. Newcastle United are also reported to be interested.

– AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric could opt to rejoin Dinamo Zagreb after representing Croatia at the World Cup, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 40-year-old started his senior career with the HNL club and club president Zvonimir Boban was his idol. There are still other possible scenarios, though, as Milan have an option to extend Modric’s stay by a year, and they want him to remain with them but will only trigger the clause if he wants them to. There is also a possibility that the midfielder could decide to retire.

– Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Olympiacos midfielder Christos Mouzakitis, as reported by Nicolo Schira. The 19-year-old, who has impressed so much with the Greek club that he won the 2025 Golden Boy award, has also been the topic of interest of several Premier League clubs. He has played 30 matches across all competitions this season, providing three assists.

– Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is Juventus’ preferred option as the Serie A club looks to replace Michele Di Gregorio, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 29-year-old is valued at €25 million to €30 million and his salary of €4.5 million-per-year would fit within Juve’s parameters, but there is strong competition from Internazionale as they could need a replacement for Yann Sommer. If Juventus can’t sign Vicario, they could turn to Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi.

– A Tottenham scout was at Unipol Domus to watch Marco Palestra during Cagliari’s goalless draw against Lazio on Saturday, as reported by Nicolo Schira. The 20-year-old wing-back is on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta and played the full 90 minutes, seeing a goal ruled out due to an offside call. Various reports elsewhere have suggested that Palestra has received interest from big-name Serie A clubs.

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OTHER RUMORS

– Aston Villa are determined to keep Amadou Onana despite Manchester United’s renewed interest in the midfielder. (Football Insider)

– Napoli and Juventus are monitoring Bayer Leverkusen winger Ernest Poku. (Nicolo Schira)

– Joao Neves has signed a one-year contract extension, which will keep the midfielder with Paris Saint-Germain until 2030. (Le Parisien)

– Zeki Celik wants to leave Roma as a free agent in the summer and has been approached by three Serie A clubs, three Premier League clubs, two Bundesliga clubs and one from the Turkish Super Lig. (Nicolo Schira)

– A meeting between Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic‘s agent has been scheduled for March as the club aims to renew the striker’s contract, which is due to expire in June. (Nicolo Schira)

– Newcastle United will only consider offers for Nick Woltemade this summer if the striker demands a move. (Football Insider)

– RB Leipzig blocked a January transfer for El Chadaille Bitshiabu, but the 20-year-old centre-back will force a summer move if his situation doesn’t change. (Philipp Hinze)

– Mattia Perin could leave Juventus during the summer transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)

– Lens midfielder Andrija Bulatovic is set to agree a new deal to stay with the Ligue 1 club until June 2030. (Fabrizio Romano)

Four professional soccer matches in Mexico were postponed Sunday after violence flared near Guadalajara — one of the country’s host cities for the 2026 World Cup — in the wake of a military operation that left cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” dead.

Liga MX officials removed two top-flight fixtures from the schedule — Querétaro’s matchup against Juárez FC in the men’s league and the women’s showdown between Chivas and América — and also called off two second-division contests amid security concerns.

The disruption followed operations earlier in the day in Tapalpa, Jalisco, roughly two hours southwest of Guadalajara. Mexican authorities said Oseguera, a former police officer who rose to lead the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), was killed during the operation.

In the aftermath, vehicles were set ablaze and highways were blocked across nearly a dozen Mexican states, according to officials.

MAJOR DRUG LORD ‘EL MENCHO’ KILLED IN MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION WITH US INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT

Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, is slated to stage four matches during the 2026 World Cup, including two involving South Korea. Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia are also scheduled to play at the venue.

Mexico’s national team remains set to host Iceland in a friendly Wednesday at Corregidora Stadium in Querétaro. As of Sunday, the Mexican soccer federation had not announced any changes to that match.

Not all sporting events were affected. Organizers of the Mexican Open in Acapulco said the ATP tournament would begin Monday at the GNP Arena as planned.

“The tournament’s operation continues as normal,” organizers of the tournament said in a statement.

Oseguera had carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to prominence following the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past decade and a half, CJNG expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking network operating across much of Mexico from its stronghold in Jalisco.

A burned vehicle used as a barricade by organized crime members, following a series of arrests by federal forces, lies in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Michelle Freyria/Reuters)

“I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X. “This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.”

The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., and that U.S. authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to El Mencho’s killing.

After El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states.

TOURISTS IN MEXICAN SEASIDE RESORT TOLD TO STAY ON RESORT AS GOVERNMENT WARNS OF ‘CLASHES’

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico. (AP Photo/Armando Solis)

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The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico with an estimated 19,000 members and operations across 21 of the country’s 32 states.

The Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.