The Wanted's Max George believes the rise of One Direction has contributed to the downfall of his own band.

The 'Glad You Came' group recently announced plans to take a prolonged hiatus following their upcoming 'Word of Mouth' tour.

In a frank interview with The Sun, George said that the band growing further apart and poor record sales contributed to their decision.

However, he added that the prominence of One Direction merely added to The Wanted's woes. George said:

"One Direction are a phenomenon that no one else can compete with. They’ve taken over the market.”

He added: “We have our own fans, who we love, but we couldn’t stop things from happening.”

The Wanted have had a prolonged battle with One Direction over the past couple of years, with their members often sparring on Twitter.