Manchester United employees have been informed that Jim Ratcliffe, along with his company Ineos, will have a wider range of authority than initially anticipated. The details of this expanded role were outlined during a meeting held by interim CEO Patrick Stewart on Wednesday.

Stewart informed the employees that Ineos and the Glazer family had reconsidered their previous arrangements and recognized the need to define the scope of Ratcliffe's influence more broadly. As a result, Ratcliffe's team will also be involved in commercial decision-making, as these decisions will have an impact on the potential success of the football operations.

This means that both ownership teams will need to reach a consensus on key decisions, as a complete separation of the two sides' affairs is now considered impractical. While Ineos' primary focus and responsibility will still be on managing the football operations, it is now clear that the Glazer family is willing to provide Ratcliffe's company with broader licenses and space to further drive transformation beyond Carrington Club Training Base, in order to bring football success to the club. Ineos believes that the club's commercial prospects will be greatly enhanced by on-field success, as evidenced by the decision to recruit Omar Belada from Manchester City, as he brings both football operations expertise and business experience.

Participants of the meeting were once again assured of the club's commitment to cultural transformation. Stewart emphasized that the club is now dedicated to instilling a "football-first culture" where all decisions made by senior management should revolve around "what is best for football."

However, the tone of the meeting also conveyed a sense of "necessary and impending change," which sparked some anxiety, as previous reports indicated that Ratcliffe was looking to review the club's personnel structure, an area widely regarded as bloated by many industry insiders.

To safeguard their positions, some club employees, speaking anonymously to The Athletic, interpreted the tone of the meeting as an indication of imminent change. Some worry that this could lead to personnel reviews and potential layoffs.

Stewart also addressed questions about his successor, Belada, whose arrival during the meeting was seen as a positive symbol of change. Belada will join Manchester United from rivals Manchester City as the club's new CEO after the end of this season.

Prior to his resignation last weekend, Belada had been working at Manchester City and City Football Group since 2011. However, his tenure at Manchester City coincided with the period (2009-2018) in which the Premier League club faced 115 charges of false accounting and inflated commercial arrangements.Staff took this opportunity to inquire about Belada's time at Manchester City during the period of the charges and his involvement in the corruption allegations against another club he served, FC Barcelona, for making long-term payments to a former Spanish referee. Both Manchester City and Barcelona have refuted any wrongdoing.Stewart reassured the staff that Manchester United had conducted the necessary due diligence but did not disclose further details, only stating that the club is confident in the integrity and qualifications of its hires.Since Richard Arnold announced his departure from Ineos shortly before they announced their bid to acquire a stake in Manchester United last year, Stewart has been serving as the club's interim CEO. The deal, worth $1.3 billion, is still pending regulatory approvals, including that of the Premier League.