Canaries striker Simeon Jackson has been told he can inspire a nation of young footballers.

Jackson was the man of the moment after his run of nine goals in eight games at the end of last season helped City over the finish line and into the Premier League.

The 24-year-old hitman has swapped the yellow and green of Norwich for the red of Canada this week, playing in a 2-2 friendly draw with Ecuador on Wednesday ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. And one of his team-mates, the experienced Dwayne De Rosario, believes Jackson's heroics in England can rub off at international level.

'All the Canadian guys that are there doing well, we're very proud, 100pc,' said De Rosario. 'They're living their dreams, and a lot of them are living our dreams that we had as well.

'Especially Simeon – he has the opportunity to play in the Premiership, and it benefits not only our national team, but the whole of Canada to see one of our own products go over to Europe and make it at that level. Hopefully kids can look at that and they can be inspired to do the same.'

Jackson played all but five minutes of the game against Ecuador, having made way for Tosaint Ricketts, who scored the equaliser in added time.

Jackson's best chance came on 31 minutes, when he forced keeper Marcelo Elizaga into a diving save, and will be hoping to go one better as Canada begin their build-up to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers which begin in September.

Canada's CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign begins against the United States next Tuesday, before they face Guadeloupe on June 11 and Panama three days later.

Jackson is clearly the busiest of Norwich's international players over the summer.

Defender Zak Whitbread didn't make the US squad for the Gold Cup, his performances for City not enough for coach Bob Bradley, who commented: 'We hope that he'll continue to play well and we'll have a chance to see him up close in the future,' said Bradley.

Andrew Crofts missed Wales' recent Carling Nations Cup because of a thumb injury, but he and City team-mate Owain Tudur Jones – who did feature against Northern Ireland and Scotland – could feature when Gary Speed's team return to action with a European Championship qualifier in Bulgaria on October 11.

Newly-capped Russell Martin will be hoping for his first start for Scotland when they play Denmark in a friendly at Hampden Park on August 10.

A trio of former City loan players are in the England Under-21s squad for the friendly against Norway at Southampton on Sunday: Henri Lansbury, Ryan Bertrand and Kieran Gibbs will all be hoping to feature ahead of the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.