Anthony Martial has been criticised for his move to Mexican side Monterrey, amid claims he first agreed to join rivals Pumas.The former Manchester United forward was unveiled by the Liga MX outfit on Friday, arriving from AEK Athens.AFPMartial’s unveiling at Monterrey was news to Pumas[/caption]But the deal was far from straight-forward, with Martial finding himself at the centre of a transfer saga involving Monterrey and rivals Pumas.How did Martial end up at Monterrey?At first, it looked as though Pumas had won the race for the Frenchman’s signature.Officials from the club have insisted they had reached an agreement in principle with AEK Athens, and Martial was set to travel to their base in Mexico City to complete the move.But they claim the 29-year-old and his camp then turned their back on a deal with Pumas, before finding out he had opted to join Monterrey instead.Martial’s late change of heart left officials at Pumas furious, with Miguel Mejia Baron, a member of the club’s recruitment team, claiming the France international should apologise.Baron told Mexican TV channel TUDN: “It’s not the agent who decides, it’s the player.“I don’t know if it is because of money – maybe he analysed other situations and had every right to make his decision. “Maybe what he lacked was an apology.”Baron wasn’t alone in voicing his frustrations over the collapsed deal, as he revealed Pumas only found out Martial had opted for Monterrey when he was unveiled.He told TUDN: “We started discussing Anthony’s situation weeks ago.The Frenchman is looking to start afresh in Mexico after failing to win any silverware in his year at AEK AthensNurPhoto via Getty“We entered into negotiations with his club, they allowed us to talk to AEK Athens, we had a couple of Zoom meetings and phone calls, working out a deal.“We reached a preliminary agreement, it was a formal proposal, in writing, we were getting everything ready.“And then, just as you found out, there was this awkward silence. You get to this point where you have an agreement in principle, then this silence, and then ‘Boom’, the announcement from Monterrey came out.”Why did Martial choose Monterrey?There had been claims Martial had caused the deal with Pumas to fall through when he refused to budge on his huge wage demands.He first joined Man United for an initial £36million back in 2015, a then world-record fee for a teenager.Martial was then reported to have signed the biggest contract in AEK Athens’ history when he put pen to paper with the Greek side last year, following his release from the Red Devils.Martial made 317 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 90 goals and providing 54 assists.GettyThe once promising youngster’s injury-hit nine-year spell at Old Trafford came to an end at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign.He joined the Greek Super League side on a free transfer, but made just 24 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring nine goals.At the start of this season, Martial was left out of six successive matchday squads, prompting him to look for pastures new.Martial follows Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos in making the move to Monterrey, who joined in February.And the 2015 Golden Boy award winner revealed this was a factor in his decision to opt for the Mexican giants.Martial said at his unveiling: “I know many other players playing here, so it was an easy decision for me.Sergio Ramos now captains Monterrey, having only joined the club seven months agoGetty“I wanted something new, and this was a great option for me. I’m very happy to be here.“Physically, I’m feeling very good because I was training every day when I was in Athens so I already feel ready. It is difficult with the jet lag but I am ready to help the team.”Monterrey are currently top of the Liga MX table, with seven wins out of their first eight matches, having lost just once.