diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
index 15b71ddee615..6782a891b3e7 100755
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
@@ -284,14 +284,19 @@ do_transfer()
 		let rm_nr_ns1=-addr_nr_ns1
 		if [ $rm_nr_ns1 -lt 8 ]; then
 			counter=1
-			sleep 1
-
-			while [ $counter -le $rm_nr_ns1 ]
-			do
-				ip netns exec ${listener_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl del $counter
+			dump=(`ip netns exec ${listener_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl dump`)
+			if [ ${#dump[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+				id=${dump[1]}
 				sleep 1
-				let counter+=1
-			done
+
+				while [ $counter -le $rm_nr_ns1 ]
+				do
+					ip netns exec ${listener_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl del $id
+					sleep 1
+					let counter+=1
+					let id+=1
+				done
+			fi
 		else
 			sleep 1
 			ip netns exec ${listener_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl flush
@@ -318,14 +323,19 @@ do_transfer()
 		let rm_nr_ns2=-addr_nr_ns2
 		if [ $rm_nr_ns2 -lt 8 ]; then
 			counter=1
-			sleep 1
-
-			while [ $counter -le $rm_nr_ns2 ]
-			do
-				ip netns exec ${connector_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl del $counter
+			dump=(`ip netns exec ${connector_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl dump`)
+			if [ ${#dump[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+				id=${dump[1]}
 				sleep 1
-				let counter+=1
-			done
+
+				while [ $counter -le $rm_nr_ns2 ]
+				do
+					ip netns exec ${connector_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl del $id
+					sleep 1
+					let counter+=1
+					let id+=1
+				done
+			fi
 		else
 			sleep 1
 			ip netns exec ${connector_ns} ./pm_nl_ctl flush