 His tenure at both sides saw them finish in their highest ever positions in the league, which prompted interest from foreign clubs, and Garbutt departed Italy for Spain to coach Athletic Bilbao, where he won a La Liga title in 1936.He returned later that year for a brief reign at Milan, and was soon re-appointed at Genoa.However, Garbutt was exiled from the nation under the fascist policy of Benito Mussolini, and he was forced to return to England in 1940.