One Direction have lavished praise on collaborator Ed Sheeran.

The two acts previously teamed up for the track 'Moments', which appeared as a bonus track on One Direction's 2011 debut record 'Up All Night'.

Sheeran worked again on the pop group's forthcoming new album 'Take Me Home', writing two songs for the band.

Speaking to Capital FM, Louis Tomlinson praised the singer-songwriter's lyrical abilities, calling him one of the best songwriters of recent times. He said:

"He's just one of the best lyricists of our generation, so having the chance to work with him is amazing. It was really important for us. His method recording-wise...you just do a couple of takes because he likes to keep it really raw and really real."

Bandmate Zayn Malik meanwhile added: "It's all just chilled. The whole vibe of his studio is chilled out. He's got a field and sometimes you just sit out on the field and jam with a guitar, play a little bit of football, walk into the studio when you feel like it, walk back out when you feel like it. It's wicked."