For most clubs, failure or success can be defined in points, trophies and medals. Manchester United are the same, but they can also define it in days. More specifically, it can be summed up in 712 days.
That's how long viral United fan Frank Ilett, also known as The United Strand, has gone without a haircut as he waits for the team to win five games in a row.
After finishing last season with wins over Nottingham Forest and Brighton, Michael Carrick's side could have completed the job with wins over newly promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town before finishing with a win away at Everton. As it turned out, that's not at all what happened.
An embarrassing 2-0 away defeat to Hull meant going back to square one. A 5-2 win over Ipswich might have promoted hopes that the season opener was just an unwanted blip, but a draw to Everton and a controversial defeat to 10-man Manchester City poured further cold water.
How could it get worse? Well, a 2-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes against Brighton in the Carabao Cup ended in a surprise 3-2 defeat.
Left watching on, his hair growing ever longer, is Ilett. His challenge will now officially reach the two-year mark -- his last haircut was on Oct. 5, 2024 -- and his hair is now almost 14 inches at its longest point.
In the meantime, Ilett continues to raise money for the Little Princess Trust, which creates wigs for children with cancer.
The only thing that can happen now before Ilett soars past two years is for United to win away to Fulham in their last game before the international break.