Her dedication impressed head coach Shelley Kerr, who believes Arnot showed “incredible mental strength” to overcome the disappointment of not playing in Scotland Women’s first major finals.
That and the five goals the player of the match scored for her club in their 9-0 hammering of Celtic to lift the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup last month.
“Even I was surprised to be fair,” she joked before Thursday’s home meeting with Belarus and next Tuesday’s away match in Poland.
“Coming back into the set up, it’s great that I’m feeling back to myself as much as I can be and feeling confident, that’s all I can ask for.”
The Hibs forward is one of seven domestic players in Kerr’s latest squad with the rest playing professionally in England, Italy, Sweden, Germany and the United States.
While Arnot – who has been capped 13 times – admits success with the Edinburgh and national side are her priority, she too would be keen to see where football could take her.
“It’s only a good thing for the squad and the game that players are getting to go professional,” she explained.
“And I think for a lot of us it’s an aim as well – if not in Scotland somewhere elsewhere.”
The Scots go into these qualifiers with three wins from four, having lost 1-0 to Switzerland, who pose the biggest threat to qualification.
The players are all too aware that every result is crucial to keep their France 2019 dreams alive.