diff --git a/virtcontainers/device/api/interface.go b/virtcontainers/device/api/interface.go
index b290b4189c..fab203624a 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/device/api/interface.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/device/api/interface.go
@@ -57,6 +57,5 @@ type Device interface {
 // DeviceManager can be used to create a new device, this can be used as single
 // device management object.
 type DeviceManager interface {
-	CreateDevice(devInfo config.DeviceInfo) Device
 	NewDevices(devInfos []config.DeviceInfo) ([]Device, error)
 }
diff --git a/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager.go b/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager.go
index 2c04d6a881..851fe13659 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager.go
@@ -29,21 +29,25 @@ func deviceLogger() *logrus.Entry {
 	return api.DeviceLogger().WithField("subsystem", "device")
 }
 
-// CreateDevice creates one device based on DeviceInfo
-func (dm *deviceManager) CreateDevice(devInfo config.DeviceInfo) api.Device {
-	path := devInfo.HostPath
+// createDevice creates one device based on DeviceInfo
+func (dm *deviceManager) createDevice(devInfo config.DeviceInfo) (api.Device, error) {
+	path, err := config.GetHostPathFunc(devInfo)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
+	devInfo.HostPath = path
 	if isVFIO(path) {
-		return drivers.NewVFIODevice(devInfo)
+		return drivers.NewVFIODevice(devInfo), nil
 	} else if isBlock(devInfo) {
 		if devInfo.DriverOptions == nil {
 			devInfo.DriverOptions = make(map[string]string)
 		}
 		devInfo.DriverOptions["block-driver"] = dm.blockDriver
-		return drivers.NewBlockDevice(devInfo)
+		return drivers.NewBlockDevice(devInfo), nil
 	} else {
 		deviceLogger().WithField("device", path).Info("Device has not been passed to the container")
-		return drivers.NewGenericDevice(devInfo)
+		return drivers.NewGenericDevice(devInfo), nil
 	}
 }
 
@@ -52,13 +56,10 @@ func (dm *deviceManager) NewDevices(devInfos []config.DeviceInfo) ([]api.Device,
 	var devices []api.Device
 
 	for _, devInfo := range devInfos {
-		hostPath, err := config.GetHostPathFunc(devInfo)
+		device, err := dm.createDevice(devInfo)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-
-		devInfo.HostPath = hostPath
-		device := dm.CreateDevice(devInfo)
 		devices = append(devices, device)
 	}
 
diff --git a/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager_test.go b/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager_test.go
index 3f43a77e80..3b2fc57688 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/device/manager/manager_test.go
@@ -25,31 +25,6 @@ const fileMode0640 = os.FileMode(0640)
 // dirMode is the permission bits used for creating a directory
 const dirMode = os.FileMode(0750) | os.ModeDir
 
-func TestCreateDevice(t *testing.T) {
-	dm := &deviceManager{
-		blockDriver: VirtioBlock,
-	}
-	devInfo := config.DeviceInfo{
-		HostPath: "/dev/vfio/8",
-		DevType:  "b",
-	}
-
-	device := dm.CreateDevice(devInfo)
-	_, ok := device.(*drivers.VFIODevice)
-	assert.True(t, ok)
-
-	devInfo.HostPath = "/dev/sda"
-	device = dm.CreateDevice(devInfo)
-	_, ok = device.(*drivers.BlockDevice)
-	assert.True(t, ok)
-
-	devInfo.HostPath = "/dev/tty"
-	devInfo.DevType = "c"
-	device = dm.CreateDevice(devInfo)
-	_, ok = device.(*drivers.GenericDevice)
-	assert.True(t, ok)
-}
-
 func TestNewDevices(t *testing.T) {
 	dm := &deviceManager{
 		blockDriver: VirtioBlock,
@@ -153,7 +128,8 @@ func TestAttachVFIODevice(t *testing.T) {
 		DevType:       "c",
 	}
 
-	device := dm.CreateDevice(deviceInfo)
+	device, err := dm.createDevice(deviceInfo)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	_, ok := device.(*drivers.VFIODevice)
 	assert.True(t, ok)
 
@@ -176,12 +152,13 @@ func TestAttachGenericDevice(t *testing.T) {
 		DevType:       "c",
 	}
 
-	device := dm.CreateDevice(deviceInfo)
+	device, err := dm.createDevice(deviceInfo)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	_, ok := device.(*drivers.GenericDevice)
 	assert.True(t, ok)
 
 	devReceiver := &api.MockDeviceReceiver{}
-	err := device.Attach(devReceiver)
+	err = device.Attach(devReceiver)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
 	err = device.Detach(devReceiver)
@@ -200,11 +177,12 @@ func TestAttachBlockDevice(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	devReceiver := &api.MockDeviceReceiver{}
-	device := dm.CreateDevice(deviceInfo)
+	device, err := dm.createDevice(deviceInfo)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	_, ok := device.(*drivers.BlockDevice)
 	assert.True(t, ok)
 
-	err := device.Attach(devReceiver)
+	err = device.Attach(devReceiver)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
 	err = device.Detach(devReceiver)
@@ -212,7 +190,8 @@ func TestAttachBlockDevice(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// test virtio SCSI driver
 	dm.blockDriver = VirtioSCSI
-	device = dm.CreateDevice(deviceInfo)
+	device, err = dm.createDevice(deviceInfo)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	err = device.Attach(devReceiver)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
diff --git a/virtcontainers/sandbox_test.go b/virtcontainers/sandbox_test.go
index b405e3b68f..eec5a0d2aa 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/sandbox_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/sandbox_test.go
@@ -1588,7 +1588,9 @@ func TestAttachBlockDevice(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	dm := manager.NewDeviceManager(VirtioBlock)
-	device := dm.CreateDevice(deviceInfo)
+	devices, err := dm.NewDevices([]config.DeviceInfo{deviceInfo})
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	device := devices[0]
 	_, ok := device.(*drivers.BlockDevice)
 	assert.True(t, ok)