"He's a fantastic singer. He's got to get his head together a little bit. He needs some time on his own, as he said, to be a normal 22-year-old which he's going to have.
"I've always said to all of them 'the future's bright for all of you depending on what you want to do.' We've always hoped that One Direction would stay together for a long time and my hunch is it still will. They're just too good for everything to stop now.
“As long as the boys want it - and I think they do - they’ll carry on being as successful as ever, and Zayn will have a great career as well."
"They were surprised and shocked, but now they've got over it. Well not got over it, got used to it. They've been professional and they're respecting the fans who've turned up to see a great show and that's what they're doing."
Adding that they're still very much bros despite all the bullsh*t reports they hate each other, Simon assured us: "You can't work together for this long if you're not friends. You have little spats, everyone does."
Asked about Zayn's solo career, he said "I can't give anything away. My main concern is that he's fine, the boys are good."
Lead single by late 2015 