diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/freescale/gianfar.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/freescale/gianfar.c
index a5cf4332d307dd4a4f053e80fd3bbe5b7717b9bb..710715fcb23dea7765ce3fc579c88fcd29ecb0da 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/freescale/gianfar.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/freescale/gianfar.c
@@ -1702,7 +1702,6 @@ static void gfar_configure_serdes(struct net_device *dev)
 	tbiphy = of_phy_find_device(priv->tbi_node);
 	if (!tbiphy) {
 		dev_err(&dev->dev, "error: Could not get TBI device\n");
-		put_device(&tbiphy->dev);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -1711,8 +1710,10 @@ static void gfar_configure_serdes(struct net_device *dev)
 	 * everything for us?  Resetting it takes the link down and requires
 	 * several seconds for it to come back.
 	 */
-	if (phy_read(tbiphy, MII_BMSR) & BMSR_LSTATUS)
+	if (phy_read(tbiphy, MII_BMSR) & BMSR_LSTATUS) {
+		put_device(&tbiphy->dev);
 		return;
+	}
 
 	/* Single clk mode, mii mode off(for serdes communication) */
 	phy_write(tbiphy, MII_TBICON, TBICON_CLK_SELECT);
diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/mdio_bus.c b/drivers/net/phy/mdio_bus.c
index 992406624b7c0f05477585bd5bd11633d88a789b..c340e412b38ff65a734507b9d31ebc1c21a5941e 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/mdio_bus.c
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/mdio_bus.c
@@ -291,8 +291,11 @@ int __mdiobus_register(struct mii_bus *bus, struct module *owner)
 
 error:
 	while (--i >= 0) {
-		if (bus->phy_map[i])
-			device_unregister(&bus->phy_map[i]->dev);
+		struct phy_device *phydev = bus->phy_map[i];
+		if (phydev) {
+			phy_device_remove(phydev);
+			phy_device_free(phydev);
+		}
 	}
 	device_del(&bus->dev);
 	return err;
@@ -307,9 +310,11 @@ void mdiobus_unregister(struct mii_bus *bus)
 	bus->state = MDIOBUS_UNREGISTERED;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < PHY_MAX_ADDR; i++) {
-		if (bus->phy_map[i])
-			device_unregister(&bus->phy_map[i]->dev);
-		bus->phy_map[i] = NULL;
+		struct phy_device *phydev = bus->phy_map[i];
+		if (phydev) {
+			phy_device_remove(phydev);
+			phy_device_free(phydev);
+		}
 	}
 	device_del(&bus->dev);
 }
diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c b/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
index 97a4f52addac0bb358c4b6dae93d50ac33c76dc1..f761288abe660b7d49b0a9a7dbd92b11efdbbbba 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
@@ -383,6 +383,24 @@ int phy_device_register(struct phy_device *phydev)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(phy_device_register);
 
+/**
+ * phy_device_remove - Remove a previously registered phy device from the MDIO bus
+ * @phydev: phy_device structure to remove
+ *
+ * This doesn't free the phy_device itself, it merely reverses the effects
+ * of phy_device_register(). Use phy_device_free() to free the device
+ * after calling this function.
+ */
+void phy_device_remove(struct phy_device *phydev)
+{
+	struct mii_bus *bus = phydev->bus;
+	int addr = phydev->addr;
+
+	device_del(&phydev->dev);
+	bus->phy_map[addr] = NULL;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(phy_device_remove);
+
 /**
  * phy_find_first - finds the first PHY device on the bus
  * @bus: the target MII bus
diff --git a/include/linux/phy.h b/include/linux/phy.h
index 11bce44f6d655a1f98069d4a01305ec7d7d99e8f..4a4e3a09233762ba0e2d3065a6fa951e352a2869 100644
--- a/include/linux/phy.h
+++ b/include/linux/phy.h
@@ -745,6 +745,7 @@ struct phy_device *phy_device_create(struct mii_bus *bus, int addr, int phy_id,
 				     struct phy_c45_device_ids *c45_ids);
 struct phy_device *get_phy_device(struct mii_bus *bus, int addr, bool is_c45);
 int phy_device_register(struct phy_device *phy);
+void phy_device_remove(struct phy_device *phydev);
 int phy_init_hw(struct phy_device *phydev);
 int phy_suspend(struct phy_device *phydev);
 int phy_resume(struct phy_device *phydev);