Has he or hasn't he? Image showing Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini without his famous afro goes viral

The Manchester United midfielder has allegedly opted to trim his famous locks

Manchester United Marouane Fellaini has allegedly cut off his hair (Twitter (@HLNinEngeland))

When it comes to football, there is quite simply nothing more entertaining than a footballer with a wacky haircut.

Former Colombia midfielder Carlos Valderrama was once famed more for his yellow afro than his footballing abilities before reitiring, while ex-Chelsea defender David Luiz's arrival in 2011 from Benfica saw him likened to Sideshow Bob, a character from the animated series 'The Simpsons'.

But the obsession with Marouane Fellaini's hair, the Belgian midfielder who joined Manchester United last summer in a £27 million deal, is such that when an image showing the 27-year-old without his prized afro emerged online, the world of social media simply could not believe it.

The only question that remains is: has he, or hasn't he?

An image shared by Belgian journalist Kristoff Terreur suggested that Fellaini had indeed cut his hair, although eagle-eyed cynics said it could all be a PR stunt.

Those sceptical about the authenticity of the rumoured haircut may have a point. It would appear that Fellaini has fooled us once before, remember.

Marouane Fellaini with cornrows in March 2009 (Getty Images)

Back in 2009, when he was at Everton, Fellaini felt obligated to braid his hair into cornrows in the style of pre-2005 Rio Ferdinand. It was a slight improvement on the monstrous afro he had grown, but eventually he returned to his normal hairstyle.

The cornrows could well have made a shock return. But if this is proven to be false, it could well be a case of hair today, gone tomorrow.