diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/phylink.c b/drivers/net/phy/phylink.c
index 3ba5cf2a8a5fbe4bd978a114a6f46b698f8c0b57..1d01e0c625a569c7d78df8941583b81c97a64e1a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/phylink.c
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/phylink.c
@@ -901,6 +901,9 @@ void phylink_start(struct phylink *pl)
 		    phylink_an_mode_str(pl->link_an_mode),
 		    phy_modes(pl->link_config.interface));
 
+	/* Always set the carrier off */
+	netif_carrier_off(pl->netdev);
+
 	/* Apply the link configuration to the MAC when starting. This allows
 	 * a fixed-link to start with the correct parameters, and also
 	 * ensures that we set the appropriate advertisement for Serdes links.