Robbie Williams has spoken out in praise of One Direction claiming that the boys will be as big as the Spice Girls.

He has previously compared the band, which was formed by Simon Cowell on the X Factor, to his own band Take That and claims that he sees a lot of himself in Harry Styles.

Robbie said to The Sun newspaper of them: "They’re quite a power in the way the Spice Girls were."

"The Spice Girls took over the world and won and I think the One Direction boys have a similar chemistry."

Robbie also believes that there are no words of wisdom that he could impart when it comes to the ladies with Harry Styles because the youngster is already so successful.

"He’s a magnet like I’ve never seen before. I don’t think Harry needs any tips from me," he continued in the interview with The Sun. "He’s beguiling, and so are One Direction. I wasn’t him when I was 18. That didn’t happen to me."

He did however add earlier in the year that he does feel a bit sorry for Styles: "I feel a bit for Harry.”

"At his age I was in this lilywhite boyband, Take That. But I was meeting up with mates, jumping out of the tour bus and into a Transit van at motorway service stations all around the country.

"It’s not a secret any more but I would get off my face and have complete anonymity. No one had a camera phone so I could go and enjoy myself properly. Harry is finding out it’s not so easy for him."

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