diff --git a/fs/nfs/dir.c b/fs/nfs/dir.c
index 2f3f86726f5b96cdbdf426a0ee7264b6fd3aa5ae..b4549e54007d110e1d73a9fb7c082aa8ff636f8f 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/dir.c
@@ -1932,8 +1932,6 @@ nfs_link(struct dentry *old_dentry, struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 		old_dentry, dentry);
 
 	trace_nfs_link_enter(inode, dir, dentry);
-	NFS_PROTO(inode)->return_delegation(inode);
-
 	d_drop(dentry);
 	error = NFS_PROTO(dir)->link(inode, dir, &dentry->d_name);
 	if (error == 0) {
diff --git a/fs/nfs/nfs4proc.c b/fs/nfs/nfs4proc.c
index 71f2916f93ff567111b2060e303b3f0c71a073bf..f4216b6b01c96ae9ff8956adfcdbb3ab2556ad60 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/nfs4proc.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/nfs4proc.c
@@ -4318,6 +4318,8 @@ static int _nfs4_proc_link(struct inode *inode, struct inode *dir, const struct
 	}
 	arg.bitmask = nfs4_bitmask(server, res.label);
 
+	nfs4_inode_return_delegation(inode);
+
 	status = nfs4_call_sync(server->client, server, &msg, &arg.seq_args, &res.seq_res, 1);
 	if (!status) {
 		update_changeattr(dir, &res.cinfo, res.fattr->time_start);