Kian Egan believes One Direction aren't as close as Westlife were.

The singer was part of the Irish group as they racked up numerous No.1 singles and enjoyed massive success in the 1990s and 2000s.

Speaking to The Sun, Egan - who has now launched a solo career following the demise of Westlife - believes that the band built up an extremely good rapport during this time.

However, he doesn't think One Direction can match that - and he reckons the future isn't too healthy for the 'Kiss You' lads.

The singer said: "One Direction would be fools to throw it away, absolute fools – and I get the feeling they will. I watch them and they don’t seem to have this bond as tight as we had in Westlife – especially as they’ve only been together three or four years.”

Egan added: "As we always said in Westlife, there’s not one person in a band that’s bigger than the band. Respect each other and understand that it’s a unit, it’s not a bunch of individuals wanting to do what they want to do.”

Watch Kian Egan in action below: