The Wanted singer Max George is doing little to play down rumours of a feud with One Direction, stating he doesn't see them as competition in America just yet.
George -
who has already apologised for describing 1D as "children's magazine based" on Twitter - claims that while One Direction may have scored a No.1 album on US iTunes, it's them who have landed a hit on the Billboard chart.
Speaking of the supposed competition between The Wanted and The X Factor group, the 23-year old explained:
"Our song is No 4. Maybe when they have a song right next to us in the charts over there, they'll be competition."
He also seemed to criticise One Direction's fanbase, describing them as "angry" - blaming age for their behaviour.
Max admitted: "Whenever you say anything about One Direction their fans get a little bit angry. I guess because they're quite young."
Earlier this week, Heat magazine reported that Max and the rest of TW lads were forced to apologise to One Direction for bad-mouthing them, with with a source revealing: "The Wanted totally freaked out when their management told them that slagging off One Direction could turn their fans against them.
Although Max may have said sorry for his remarks, 1D are apparently "furious" with George and the rest of the gang, with an insider telling Heat:
"They're angry about The Wanted slagging them off. They think it's a low blow and they were shocked that Max would say that."
