Erling Haaland’s new post sharing his buzz cut right after Manchester City’s five wins in a row in the Premier League makes fans think he took a shot at Manchester United.
The Norwegian striker shared his new buzzcut look on social media yesterday, after Manchester City won their fifth match on 20th September against Sunderland 5-3.
Why fans are saying this is a shade on Man United is because Manchester United fan and social media influencer Frank Ilet, professionally known as The United Strand, is known for his series where he post video everyday of him not cutting his hair off until Manchester United wins five games in a row.
After cutting all his hair, Ilett began his series on 5th October 2024, where he posted a video of himself not cutting his hair on Instagram until Manchester United wins 5 games in a row. According to BBC Sport, he expected that the club would win within three or four months.
“It was meant for a laugh, and then that would be it ” said Ilett.
The series by The United Strand became a hit, and he gained 1.5 million followers. He has also done charity works where he helped raise money for The Little Princess Trust, a children’s charity.
Football fans have jokingly admitted that Ilett might never be able to cut his hair because of Manchester United’s inconsistent performance recently.
In the 2026-27 Premier League season, Manchester City has won 5 out of 5 of their games and are in first position with 15 points in the points table before the three-week international break from late September to early October. Meanwhile, Manchester United have been able to win only one match, with two of them being draws and two matches lost. They are currently in 12th position with 8 points.
Ever since the Premier League started on 22nd August, Manchester City has delivered their best performance in all their matches. Erling Haaland in particular has showcased stellar performance and is the current top scorer in the league with 5 goals in 5 matches. In the opening match against Bournemouth, City won by 2-1 and continued their winning streak, defeating Palace, Coventry and Manchester United themselves. Finally, on 20th September, in their last match before the break, they beat Sunderland 5-3.
Fans are loving how Haaland got his haircut right after City won 5 matches in a row, a feat United could not achieve. Comments on his post call him funny and unhinged he is to post his new buzzcut look with the caption, “Got my first haircut since the haircut!
Fans have reacted very hilariously to Haaland’s post and new look. They also believe that Haaland, with his fresh cut, is going to terrorize the defenders even more.
Comments are flooding under his post like “we know who he is talking about ” and are surprised at how Haaland knows the memes and internet trolls happening around. Some even say this is why they love Erling Haaland, because of his humour and personality.
Well, it is not the first time Manchester City has trolled a specific Man United fan’s challenge, with Erling Haaland’s hair being the subject. The official Manchester City US X account once posted a photo of Haaland with his long blonde hair flowing down, captioned “Nothing wrong with growing out your hair”, after Man United’s 5 consecutive wins were snapped by a draw against West Ham on February 2026.
Well, the internet shook again when Erling Haaland commented “cut your hair man ✂️” under Ilett’s comment on a post that discussed Haaland’s haircut was a dig at United. The interaction happened in the comment section of SPORTbible’s Instagram account, where The United Strand argued that Haaland’s haircut post was not a dig at Man United because, if it was, he would have cut it after City’s 5th consecutive win (which was against Man United) instead of waiting till their 7th win ( the win against Sunderland). The real shock happened when Haaland replied to his comment on his official Instagram account.
Nonetheless, both Manchester City and United have very crucial matches next after the three-week break. Manchester City has to face Liverpool on 11th October, and Manchester United will be facing Tottenham Hotspur on 10th October. United fans are hoping to see the club back in form after the break, and Haaland fans are excited to see him continue giving the goal streak after his new haircut.
