Michael Carrick has many reasons for wanting to Manchester United team to win West Ham Last night but supporter Frank Ilett’s appearance is not one of them.

Ellett, who calls himself the ‘United strand’, has gained notoriety on social media for vowing not to cut his hair until United have won five matches in a row.

He’s gone 492 days without taking the scissors to his curly mane but he’s never been close to getting a much-needed trim.

@theunitedstrand

492nd day of not cutting my hair until @Manchester United win 5 games in a row! ⌛️ Current Streak – 4/5 #combined #hair growth #mufc #herchallenge #Carrick

♬ Original Sound – TheUnitedStrand

Four wins in a row gives Elliott and Manchester United hope

Carrick has masterminded United’s resurgence since replacing Ruben Amorim and they head to the London Stadium tomorrow night after back-to-back wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham.

Carrick says he has heard of Ellett but insists he will not mention him when addressing his players ahead of the game tomorrow night.

The United boss said: “I can say I’m aware of it, yes. My kids have made me aware of it, if anything.

“He certainly won’t go into the team discussion from a professional level. I can understand and what’s going on with him and it makes me smile but ultimately it won’t have an impact.”

West Ham will provide a tough test for Manchester United

West Ham have enjoyed a resurgence of their own recently and three wins in four games have revived their hopes of beating the drop. They will start the night just three points behind Nottingham Forest, who are in the final safety spot.

“I think you have to go into the game understanding the situation of both teams,” said Carrick, who played for both United and West Ham. “Every game we’ve played so far we’ve tried to draw that picture to the players, and it will be the same on Tuesday night. The type of game, the feel of the game, what kind of skills we have to try and draw.

“Different sports throw up different things and the teams at the bottom of the league really fight for things. But so do we, and we have a lot to fight for, so you want to think that balances out in some ways. It’s who can come out on top in the end.

“But for sure, we are fully aware of what we are going into on Tuesday night and how difficult it will be.”