diff --git a/src/nm-initrd-generator/nmi-cmdline-reader.c b/src/nm-initrd-generator/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
index 367962d99d..f6aa87b924 100644
--- a/src/nm-initrd-generator/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
+++ b/src/nm-initrd-generator/nmi-cmdline-reader.c
@@ -1187,11 +1187,6 @@ reader_parse_ethtool(Reader *reader, char *argument)
         return;
     }
 
-    if (!*argument) {
-        _LOGW(LOGD_CORE, "Could not find rd.ethtool options to set");
-        return;
-    }
-
     autoneg_str = get_word(&argument, ':');
     speed_str   = get_word(&argument, ':');
 
diff --git a/src/nm-initrd-generator/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c b/src/nm-initrd-generator/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
index ccdb8ab7be..6f747fed1a 100644
--- a/src/nm-initrd-generator/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
+++ b/src/nm-initrd-generator/tests/test-cmdline-reader.c
@@ -2318,11 +2318,9 @@ test_rd_ethtool(void)
     NMTST_EXPECT_NM_WARN("cmdline-reader: Impossible to set rd.ethtool options: invalid format");
     _ethtool_check_inval("rd.ethtool=");
 
-    NMTST_EXPECT_NM_WARN("cmdline-reader: Could not find rd.ethtool options to set");
-    _ethtool_check_inval("rd.ethtool=eth0");
+    _ethtool_check("rd.ethtool=eth0", FALSE, 0);
 
-    NMTST_EXPECT_NM_WARN("cmdline-reader: Could not find rd.ethtool options to set");
-    _ethtool_check_inval("rd.ethtool=eth0:");
+    _ethtool_check("rd.ethtool=eth0:", FALSE, 0);
 
     NMTST_EXPECT_NM_WARN("cmdline-reader: Impossible to set rd.ethtool options: invalid format");
     _ethtool_check_inval("rd.ethtool=::");
@@ -2407,9 +2405,7 @@ test_rd_ethtool(void)
     _ethtool_check_v(NM_MAKE_STRV("rd.ethtool=eth0:off:100", "rd.ethtool=eth0:off"), FALSE, 0);
     _ethtool_check_v(NM_MAKE_STRV("rd.ethtool=eth0:on:100", "rd.ethtool=eth0:on"), TRUE, 0);
     _ethtool_check_v(NM_MAKE_STRV("rd.ethtool=eth0:on:100", "rd.ethtool=eth0:off"), FALSE, 0);
-
-    NMTST_EXPECT_NM_WARN("cmdline-reader: Could not find rd.ethtool options to set");
-    _ethtool_check_v(NM_MAKE_STRV("rd.ethtool=eth0:off:100", "rd.ethtool=eth0:"), FALSE, 100);
+    _ethtool_check_v(NM_MAKE_STRV("rd.ethtool=eth0:off:100", "rd.ethtool=eth0:"), FALSE, 0);
 }
 
 /*****************************************************************************/