diff --git a/src/network/networkd-link.c b/src/network/networkd-link.c
index dca9b1550c..e5d51f1572 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-link.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-link.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include "networkd-manager.h"
 #include "networkd-ndisc.h"
 #include "networkd-neighbor.h"
+#include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "networkd-sriov.h"
 #include "networkd-radv.h"
 #include "networkd-routing-policy-rule.h"
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-manager.c b/src/network/networkd-manager.c
index 94b036e81e..0a0fb36f95 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-manager.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-manager.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "networkd-manager-bus.h"
 #include "networkd-manager.h"
 #include "networkd-network-bus.h"
+#include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "networkd-routing-policy-rule.h"
 #include "networkd-speed-meter.h"
 #include "ordered-set.h"
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-network-gperf.gperf b/src/network/networkd-network-gperf.gperf
index b3f3a22d07..25a7b8991a 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-network-gperf.gperf
+++ b/src/network/networkd-network-gperf.gperf
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ _Pragma("GCC diagnostic ignored \"-Wimplicit-fallthrough\"")
 #include "networkd-ipv4ll.h"
 #include "networkd-ndisc.h"
 #include "networkd-network.h"
+#include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "networkd-routing-policy-rule.h"
 #include "networkd-sriov.h"
 #include "qdisc.h"
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-network.c b/src/network/networkd-network.c
index d8831561c4..d04d523c32 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-network.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-network.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "network-internal.h"
 #include "networkd-manager.h"
 #include "networkd-network.h"
+#include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "networkd-routing-policy-rule.h"
 #include "networkd-sriov.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-network.h b/src/network/networkd-network.h
index c92b751866..12ec6ef1b2 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-network.h
+++ b/src/network/networkd-network.h
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 #include "networkd-mdb.h"
 #include "networkd-ndisc.h"
 #include "networkd-neighbor.h"
-#include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "networkd-radv.h"
 #include "networkd-route.h"
 #include "networkd-util.h"
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
index 6c9d1c57dd..4f40883e54 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
@@ -5,19 +5,18 @@
 #include <linux/nexthop.h>
 
 #include "alloc-util.h"
-#include "conf-parser.h"
-#include "in-addr-util.h"
 #include "netlink-util.h"
+#include "networkd-link.h"
 #include "networkd-manager.h"
+#include "networkd-network.h"
 #include "networkd-nexthop.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "set.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
-#include "util.h"
 
-void nexthop_free(NextHop *nexthop) {
+NextHop *nexthop_free(NextHop *nexthop) {
         if (!nexthop)
-                return;
+                return NULL;
 
         if (nexthop->network) {
                 assert(nexthop->section);
@@ -31,7 +30,7 @@ void nexthop_free(NextHop *nexthop) {
                 set_remove(nexthop->link->nexthops_foreign, nexthop);
         }
 
-        free(nexthop);
+        return mfree(nexthop);
 }
 
 DEFINE_NETWORK_SECTION_FUNCTIONS(NextHop, nexthop_free);
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.h b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.h
index 2ff8b4b81e..7d1705904f 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.h
+++ b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.h
@@ -4,16 +4,19 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
+#include <inttypes.h>
+
+#include "sd-netlink.h"
+
 #include "conf-parser.h"
-#include "macro.h"
-
-typedef struct NextHop NextHop;
-typedef struct NetworkConfigSection NetworkConfigSection;
-
-#include "networkd-network.h"
+#include "in-addr-util.h"
 #include "networkd-util.h"
 
-struct NextHop {
+typedef struct Link Link;
+typedef struct Manager Manager;
+typedef struct Network Network;
+
+typedef struct NextHop {
         Network *network;
         NetworkConfigSection *section;
 
@@ -26,15 +29,14 @@ struct NextHop {
         uint32_t id;
 
         union in_addr_union gw;
-};
+} NextHop;
 
-void nexthop_free(NextHop *nexthop);
+NextHop *nexthop_free(NextHop *nexthop);
+int nexthop_section_verify(NextHop *nexthop);
 
 int link_set_nexthop(Link *link);
 
 int manager_rtnl_process_nexthop(sd_netlink *rtnl, sd_netlink_message *message, Manager *m);
 
-int nexthop_section_verify(NextHop *nexthop);
-
 CONFIG_PARSER_PROTOTYPE(config_parse_nexthop_id);
 CONFIG_PARSER_PROTOTYPE(config_parse_nexthop_gateway);