In a scathing critique, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has taken aim at the peculiar publicity stunt of a prominent fan, arguing it has become a detrimental distraction for the club. The fan in question, Frank Eilet, pledged over a year ago, in October of the previous year, to refrain from cutting his hair until the Red Devils secure five consecutive victories—a feat the team has consistently failed to achieve since the challenge’s inception.
This unusual pledge, evolving into a social media phenomenon, has seen Eilet’s hair grow longer and thicker with each passing day and every dropped point by United. The team’s performance under three different managers—Erik ten Hag, Rúben Amorim, and currently Michael Carrick—has yet to meet the condition, keeping the challenge alive and in the public eye.
A Near Miss and Renewed Frustration
The prospect of finally ending the saga seemed tangible recently. Under Carrick’s guidance, Manchester United strung together impressive wins against Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, and Tottenham Hotspur in sequence, bringing them to the brink of the required quintuple. However, the momentum was halted on Tuesday evening with a 1-1 draw against West Ham United, resetting the counter and reigniting the narrative.
Expressing his irritation on the No Tippy Tappy podcast, Rooney contended that this fan-driven spectacle does nothing to aid the team. He posited that it instead subjects the players to unnecessary additional pressure, diverting focus from the pitch to a supporter’s hairstyle. “It really gets on my nerves,” Rooney stated, emphasizing that discussions should center on Carrick and the team’s performance, not on whether an individual will cut his hair.
Delving deeper into his perspective, the former captain suggested a paradoxical outcome for Eilet. Rooney asserted that even if United were to achieve the five wins, Eilet would likely be dissatisfied, as fulfilling his pledge would mean losing the very source of his newfound attention and media relevance. “I believe he would feel disappointed if United won the fifth match,” Rooney concluded, “because then he would suddenly lose his importance.”