Attacker of viral Man Utd fan famed for growing hair BANNED by Red Devils after incident

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Manchester United have issued an indefinite ban to a supporter who was caught on camera assaulting the fan who has gone viral for growing his hair.

Frank Ilett, known as the United Strand, has picked up nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram , where he is documenting his hair-growing. Ilett has decided not to cut his hair until United win five matches in a row and is now over a year into the challenge.

He was assaulted by a fellow United supporter at the club’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford on September 20 in an incident that went viral on social media. A fan was seen pulling Ilett’s hair before angrily abusing him as others came to his aid.

Greater Manchester Police later confirmed they were investigating and United have now managed to identify the perpetrator. The Daily Mail reports that he has been banned indefinitely from Old Trafford.

Speaking about the incident, Ilett said: “Yeah, it was a bit weird to be honest! I thought he was just joking to start with, but then he started yanking my hair and calling me an ‘attention-seeking c***’.

“The whole day was full of hundreds of positive interactions yesterday and 99 per cent of all of the reactions to this challenge has been nice. But just a few people can ruin it! My intention with this challenge was never to highlight Man United’s flaws. It was always and always will be to spread humour and positivity to United fans in a difficult time.”

It has now been 382 days since Ilett vowed not to cut his hair until United won five consecutive matches and there hasn’t been much to suggest the stunt is about to end. But United have given him hope of a hair cut by winning two in a row, beating Sunderland 2-0 and Liverpool 2-1.

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Ruben Amorim’s side host Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday looking to make it three in a row and move up the Premier League table from their current position of ninth. The team have become aware of Ilett’s hair-growing, with Diogo Dalot asked about it following the dramatic win at Anfield on Sunday.

“We’ll see. We hope that we can give him that haircut,” Dalot said. If they do beat Brighton on Saturday then Nottingham Forest and Tottenham will decide the fate of Ilett’s bushy locks.

Despite the attention he’s gained from the challenge, Ilett is desperate for United to pick up those wins. “Like I've said before, I never expected it to go on for so long, but I'm hopeful we can go on a good run soon and I, more than most... want these wins to come as soon as possible,” he said recently.

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