MUMBAI: TV mogul Simon Cowell, who discovered One Direction in ‘The X Factor' in 2010, has shared his opinion on singer Zayn Malik's departure from the boyband last month.

"He's a fantastic singer. Look, 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 gonna have," Cowell told online magazine Sugarscape, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Cowell signed One Direction to his record label Syco Records after they finished third on ‘The X Factor' in 2010.

"I've always said to all of them, the future's bright 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," he added.

One Direction is now left with four members - Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.