diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
index ea97b1e6ad..b8c11d1181 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/rtnl-message.c
@@ -125,20 +125,6 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *family) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_family(sd_netlink_message *m, int family) {
-        struct rtmsg *rtm;
-
-        assert_return(m, -EINVAL);
-        assert_return(m->hdr, -EINVAL);
-        assert_return(rtnl_message_type_is_route(m->hdr->nlmsg_type), -EINVAL);
-
-        rtm = NLMSG_DATA(m->hdr);
-
-        rtm->rtm_family = family;
-
-        return 0;
-}
-
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_type(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *type) {
         struct rtmsg *rtm;
 
@@ -294,8 +280,19 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_new_nexthop(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
         int r;
 
         assert_return(rtnl_message_type_is_nexthop(nhmsg_type), -EINVAL);
-        assert_return((nhmsg_type == RTM_GETNEXTHOP && nh_family == AF_UNSPEC) ||
-                      IN_SET(nh_family, AF_INET, AF_INET6), -EINVAL);
+        switch(nhmsg_type) {
+        case RTM_DELNEXTHOP:
+                assert_return(nh_family == AF_UNSPEC, -EINVAL);
+                _fallthrough_;
+        case RTM_GETNEXTHOP:
+                assert_return(nh_protocol == RTPROT_UNSPEC, -EINVAL);
+                break;
+        case RTM_NEWNEXTHOP:
+                assert_return(IN_SET(nh_family, AF_UNSPEC, AF_INET, AF_INET6), -EINVAL);
+                break;
+        default:
+                assert_not_reached("Invalid message type.");
+        }
         assert_return(ret, -EINVAL);
 
         r = message_new(rtnl, ret, nhmsg_type);
@@ -319,7 +316,7 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t flags) {
 
         assert_return(m, -EINVAL);
         assert_return(m->hdr, -EINVAL);
-        assert_return(rtnl_message_type_is_nexthop(m->hdr->nlmsg_type), -EINVAL);
+        assert_return(m->hdr->nlmsg_type == RTM_NEWNEXTHOP, -EINVAL);
 
         nhm = NLMSG_DATA(m->hdr);
         nhm->nh_flags |= flags;
@@ -327,18 +324,6 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t flags) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_family(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t family) {
-        struct nhmsg *nhm;
-
-        assert_return(m, -EINVAL);
-        assert_return(m->hdr, -EINVAL);
-
-        nhm = NLMSG_DATA(m->hdr);
-        nhm->nh_family = family;
-
-        return 0;
-}
-
 int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t *family) {
         struct nhmsg *nhm;
 
@@ -346,7 +331,7 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t *fam
         assert_return(m->hdr, -EINVAL);
 
         nhm = NLMSG_DATA(m->hdr);
-        *family = nhm->nh_family ;
+        *family = nhm->nh_family;
 
         return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
index ab0562e9e8..6143de11f3 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
@@ -281,10 +281,6 @@ static int nexthop_configure(NextHop *nexthop, Link *link) {
                 r = netlink_message_append_in_addr_union(req, NHA_GATEWAY, nexthop->family, &nexthop->gw);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return log_link_error_errno(link, r, "Could not append NHA_GATEWAY attribute: %m");
-
-                r = sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_family(req, nexthop->family);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return log_link_error_errno(link, r, "Could not set nexthop family: %m");
         }
 
         r = netlink_call_async(link->manager->rtnl, NULL, req, nexthop_handler,
diff --git a/src/systemd/sd-netlink.h b/src/systemd/sd-netlink.h
index 13b00d6a5b..65d590c5b7 100644
--- a/src/systemd/sd-netlink.h
+++ b/src/systemd/sd-netlink.h
@@ -138,15 +138,10 @@ int sd_netlink_message_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, uint16_t flags);
 int sd_netlink_message_is_broadcast(const sd_netlink_message *m);
 
 /* rtnl */
-
-int sd_rtnl_message_new_link(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index);
-int sd_rtnl_message_new_addr_update(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, int index, int family);
-int sd_rtnl_message_new_addr(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index, int family);
-int sd_rtnl_message_new_route(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t nlmsg_type, int rtm_family, unsigned char rtm_protocol);
-int sd_rtnl_message_new_neigh(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index, int nda_family);
-
 int sd_rtnl_message_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *family);
 
+int sd_rtnl_message_new_addr(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index, int family);
+int sd_rtnl_message_new_addr_update(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, int index, int family);
 int sd_rtnl_message_addr_set_prefixlen(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char prefixlen);
 int sd_rtnl_message_addr_set_scope(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char scope);
 int sd_rtnl_message_addr_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char flags);
@@ -156,6 +151,7 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_addr_get_scope(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *s
 int sd_rtnl_message_addr_get_flags(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *flags);
 int sd_rtnl_message_addr_get_ifindex(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *ifindex);
 
+int sd_rtnl_message_new_link(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index);
 int sd_rtnl_message_link_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned flags, unsigned change);
 int sd_rtnl_message_link_set_type(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned type);
 int sd_rtnl_message_link_set_family(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned family);
@@ -163,6 +159,7 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_link_get_ifindex(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *ifindex);
 int sd_rtnl_message_link_get_flags(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned *flags);
 int sd_rtnl_message_link_get_type(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned short *type);
 
+int sd_rtnl_message_new_route(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t nlmsg_type, int rtm_family, unsigned char rtm_protocol);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_dst_prefixlen(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char prefixlen);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_src_prefixlen(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char prefixlen);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_scope(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char scope);
@@ -171,7 +168,6 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_table(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char table);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_type(sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char type);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_flags(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned *flags);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *family);
-int sd_rtnl_message_route_set_family(sd_netlink_message *m, int family);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_protocol(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *protocol);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_scope(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *scope);
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_tos(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *tos);
@@ -181,11 +177,10 @@ int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_src_prefixlen(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigne
 int sd_rtnl_message_route_get_type(const sd_netlink_message *m, unsigned char *type);
 
 int sd_rtnl_message_new_nexthop(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t nhmsg_type, int nh_family, unsigned char nh_protocol);
-
 int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t flags);
-int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_set_family(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t family);
 int sd_rtnl_message_nexthop_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t *family);
 
+int sd_rtnl_message_new_neigh(sd_netlink *nl, sd_netlink_message **ret, uint16_t msg_type, int index, int nda_family);
 int sd_rtnl_message_neigh_set_flags(sd_netlink_message *m, uint8_t flags);
 int sd_rtnl_message_neigh_set_state(sd_netlink_message *m, uint16_t state);
 int sd_rtnl_message_neigh_get_family(const sd_netlink_message *m, int *family);