diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
index ec30240eeb..9b504528d9 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
@@ -1629,12 +1629,11 @@ spdk_ftl_write(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct spdk_io_channel *ch, uint64_t lb
 		return -EBUSY;
 	}
 
-	io = ftl_io_alloc(ch);
+	io = ftl_io_user_init(ch, lba, lba_cnt, iov, iov_cnt, cb_fn, cb_arg, FTL_IO_WRITE);
 	if (!io) {
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	ftl_io_user_init(dev, io, lba, lba_cnt, iov, iov_cnt, cb_fn, cb_arg, FTL_IO_WRITE);
 	ftl_io_write(io);
 
 	return 0;
@@ -1682,12 +1681,11 @@ spdk_ftl_read(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct spdk_io_channel *ch, uint64_t lba
 		return -EBUSY;
 	}
 
-	io = ftl_io_alloc(ch);
+	io = ftl_io_user_init(ch, lba, lba_cnt, iov, iov_cnt, cb_fn, cb_arg, FTL_IO_READ);
 	if (!io) {
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	ftl_io_user_init(dev, io, lba, lba_cnt, iov, iov_cnt, cb_fn, cb_arg, FTL_IO_READ);
 	ftl_io_read(io);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
index 570f6ea9d4..cff86b8304 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
@@ -273,13 +273,17 @@ ftl_io_erase_init(struct ftl_band *band, size_t lbk_cnt, spdk_ftl_fn cb)
 	return io;
 }
 
-void
-ftl_io_user_init(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_io *io, uint64_t lba, size_t lbk_cnt,
-		 struct iovec *iov, size_t iov_cnt,
-		 spdk_ftl_fn cb_fn, void *cb_arg, int type)
+struct ftl_io *
+ftl_io_user_init(struct spdk_io_channel *_ioch, uint64_t lba, size_t lbk_cnt, struct iovec *iov,
+		 size_t iov_cnt, spdk_ftl_fn cb_fn, void *cb_arg, int type)
 {
-	if (io->flags & FTL_IO_INITIALIZED) {
-		return;
+	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(_ioch);
+	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = ioch->dev;
+	struct ftl_io *io;
+
+	io = ftl_io_alloc(_ioch);
+	if (spdk_unlikely(!io)) {
+		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	ftl_io_init(io, dev, cb_fn, cb_arg, 0, type);
@@ -295,6 +299,8 @@ ftl_io_user_init(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_io *io, uint64_t lba, size
 	}
 
 	ftl_trace_lba_io_init(io->dev, io);
+
+	return io;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.h b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.h
index 4e4490957d..c9c2451a63 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.h
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.h
@@ -275,13 +275,12 @@ void ftl_io_advance(struct ftl_io *io, size_t lbk_cnt);
 size_t ftl_iovec_num_lbks(struct iovec *iov, size_t iov_cnt);
 void *ftl_io_iovec_addr(struct ftl_io *io);
 size_t ftl_io_iovec_len_left(struct ftl_io *io);
-struct ftl_io *ftl_io_init_internal(const struct ftl_io_init_opts *opts);
 struct ftl_io *ftl_io_rwb_init(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_band *band,
 			       struct ftl_rwb_batch *entry, spdk_ftl_fn cb);
 struct ftl_io *ftl_io_erase_init(struct ftl_band *band, size_t lbk_cnt, spdk_ftl_fn cb);
-void ftl_io_user_init(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_io *io, uint64_t lba, size_t lbk_cnt,
-		      struct iovec *iov, size_t iov_cnt,
-		      spdk_ftl_fn fn, void *cb_arg, int type);
+struct ftl_io *ftl_io_user_init(struct spdk_io_channel *ioch, uint64_t lba, size_t lbk_cnt,
+				struct iovec *iov, size_t iov_cnt, spdk_ftl_fn cb_fn,
+				void *cb_arg, int type);
 void *ftl_io_get_md(const struct ftl_io *io);
 void ftl_io_complete(struct ftl_io *io);
 void ftl_io_shrink_iovec(struct ftl_io *io, size_t lbk_cnt);