diff --git a/drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c b/drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c
index ee28ec9e0aba..ffa37adb7681 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c
@@ -963,7 +963,8 @@ static inline void slave_disable_netpoll(struct slave *slave)
 		return;
 
 	slave->np = NULL;
-	__netpoll_free_async(np);
+
+	__netpoll_free(np);
 }
 
 static void bond_poll_controller(struct net_device *bond_dev)
diff --git a/drivers/net/macvlan.c b/drivers/net/macvlan.c
index cfda146f3b3b..fc8d5f1ee1ad 100644
--- a/drivers/net/macvlan.c
+++ b/drivers/net/macvlan.c
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ static void macvlan_dev_netpoll_cleanup(struct net_device *dev)
 
 	vlan->netpoll = NULL;
 
-	__netpoll_free_async(netpoll);
+	__netpoll_free(netpoll);
 }
 #endif	/* CONFIG_NET_POLL_CONTROLLER */
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/team/team.c b/drivers/net/team/team.c
index d887016e54b6..db633ae9f784 100644
--- a/drivers/net/team/team.c
+++ b/drivers/net/team/team.c
@@ -1104,10 +1104,7 @@ static void team_port_disable_netpoll(struct team_port *port)
 		return;
 	port->np = NULL;
 
-	/* Wait for transmitting packets to finish before freeing. */
-	synchronize_rcu_bh();
-	__netpoll_cleanup(np);
-	kfree(np);
+	__netpoll_free(np);
 }
 #else
 static int team_port_enable_netpoll(struct team_port *port)
diff --git a/include/linux/netpoll.h b/include/linux/netpoll.h
index 3ef82d3a78db..676f1ff161a9 100644
--- a/include/linux/netpoll.h
+++ b/include/linux/netpoll.h
@@ -31,8 +31,6 @@ struct netpoll {
 	bool ipv6;
 	u16 local_port, remote_port;
 	u8 remote_mac[ETH_ALEN];
-
-	struct work_struct cleanup_work;
 };
 
 struct netpoll_info {
@@ -63,7 +61,7 @@ int netpoll_parse_options(struct netpoll *np, char *opt);
 int __netpoll_setup(struct netpoll *np, struct net_device *ndev);
 int netpoll_setup(struct netpoll *np);
 void __netpoll_cleanup(struct netpoll *np);
-void __netpoll_free_async(struct netpoll *np);
+void __netpoll_free(struct netpoll *np);
 void netpoll_cleanup(struct netpoll *np);
 void netpoll_send_skb_on_dev(struct netpoll *np, struct sk_buff *skb,
 			     struct net_device *dev);
diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
index 546af0e73ac3..ff720f1ebf73 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
@@ -756,8 +756,7 @@ static void vlan_dev_netpoll_cleanup(struct net_device *dev)
 		return;
 
 	vlan->netpoll = NULL;
-
-	__netpoll_free_async(netpoll);
+	__netpoll_free(netpoll);
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_NET_POLL_CONTROLLER */
 
diff --git a/net/bridge/br_device.c b/net/bridge/br_device.c
index e053a4e43758..c6abf927f0c9 100644
--- a/net/bridge/br_device.c
+++ b/net/bridge/br_device.c
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ void br_netpoll_disable(struct net_bridge_port *p)
 
 	p->np = NULL;
 
-	__netpoll_free_async(np);
+	__netpoll_free(np);
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/net/core/netpoll.c b/net/core/netpoll.c
index 3ae899805f8b..5da9552b186b 100644
--- a/net/core/netpoll.c
+++ b/net/core/netpoll.c
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ DEFINE_STATIC_SRCU(netpoll_srcu);
 	 MAX_UDP_CHUNK)
 
 static void zap_completion_queue(void);
-static void netpoll_async_cleanup(struct work_struct *work);
 
 static unsigned int carrier_timeout = 4;
 module_param(carrier_timeout, uint, 0644);
@@ -589,7 +588,6 @@ int __netpoll_setup(struct netpoll *np, struct net_device *ndev)
 
 	np->dev = ndev;
 	strlcpy(np->dev_name, ndev->name, IFNAMSIZ);
-	INIT_WORK(&np->cleanup_work, netpoll_async_cleanup);
 
 	if (ndev->priv_flags & IFF_DISABLE_NETPOLL) {
 		np_err(np, "%s doesn't support polling, aborting\n",
@@ -788,10 +786,6 @@ void __netpoll_cleanup(struct netpoll *np)
 {
 	struct netpoll_info *npinfo;
 
-	/* rtnl_dereference would be preferable here but
-	 * rcu_cleanup_netpoll path can put us in here safely without
-	 * holding the rtnl, so plain rcu_dereference it is
-	 */
 	npinfo = rtnl_dereference(np->dev->npinfo);
 	if (!npinfo)
 		return;
@@ -812,21 +806,16 @@ void __netpoll_cleanup(struct netpoll *np)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__netpoll_cleanup);
 
-static void netpoll_async_cleanup(struct work_struct *work)
+void __netpoll_free(struct netpoll *np)
 {
-	struct netpoll *np = container_of(work, struct netpoll, cleanup_work);
+	ASSERT_RTNL();
 
-	rtnl_lock();
+	/* Wait for transmitting packets to finish before freeing. */
+	synchronize_rcu_bh();
 	__netpoll_cleanup(np);
-	rtnl_unlock();
 	kfree(np);
 }
-
-void __netpoll_free_async(struct netpoll *np)
-{
-	schedule_work(&np->cleanup_work);
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__netpoll_free_async);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__netpoll_free);
 
 void netpoll_cleanup(struct netpoll *np)
 {
diff --git a/net/dsa/slave.c b/net/dsa/slave.c
index 5428ef529019..7d0c19e7edcf 100644
--- a/net/dsa/slave.c
+++ b/net/dsa/slave.c
@@ -722,7 +722,7 @@ static void dsa_slave_netpoll_cleanup(struct net_device *dev)
 
 	p->netpoll = NULL;
 
-	__netpoll_free_async(netpoll);
+	__netpoll_free(netpoll);
 }
 
 static void dsa_slave_poll_controller(struct net_device *dev)