diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager.go
index ec91d772fbc..71a4eff8e80 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager.go
@@ -110,23 +110,22 @@ func newDefaultFieldManager(f Manager, typeConverter TypeConverter, objectConver
 	return NewFieldManager(f, ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject)
 }
 
-func decodeLiveManagedFields(liveObj runtime.Object) (Managed, error) {
+// DecodeManagedFields converts ManagedFields from the wire format (api format)
+// to the format used by sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff
+func DecodeManagedFields(encodedManagedFields []metav1.ManagedFieldsEntry) (Managed, error) {
+	return internal.DecodeManagedFields(encodedManagedFields)
+}
+
+func decodeLiveOrNew(liveObj, newObj runtime.Object, ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject bool) (Managed, error) {
 	liveAccessor, err := meta.Accessor(liveObj)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	managed, err := internal.DecodeObjectManagedFields(liveAccessor.GetManagedFields())
-	if err != nil {
-		return internal.NewEmptyManaged(), nil
-	}
-	return managed, nil
-}
 
-func decodeManagedFields(liveObj, newObj runtime.Object, ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject bool) (Managed, error) {
 	// We take the managedFields of the live object in case the request tries to
 	// manually set managedFields via a subresource.
 	if ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject {
-		return decodeLiveManagedFields(liveObj)
+		return emptyManagedFieldsOnErr(DecodeManagedFields(liveAccessor.GetManagedFields()))
 	}
 
 	// If the object doesn't have metadata, we should just return without trying to
@@ -140,14 +139,20 @@ func decodeManagedFields(liveObj, newObj runtime.Object, ignoreManagedFieldsFrom
 		return internal.NewEmptyManaged(), nil
 	}
 
-	managed, err := internal.DecodeObjectManagedFields(newAccessor.GetManagedFields())
 	// If the managed field is empty or we failed to decode it,
 	// let's try the live object. This is to prevent clients who
 	// don't understand managedFields from deleting it accidentally.
+	managed, err := DecodeManagedFields(newAccessor.GetManagedFields())
 	if err != nil || len(managed.Fields()) == 0 {
-		return decodeLiveManagedFields(liveObj)
+		return emptyManagedFieldsOnErr(DecodeManagedFields(liveAccessor.GetManagedFields()))
 	}
+	return managed, nil
+}
 
+func emptyManagedFieldsOnErr(managed Managed, err error) (Managed, error) {
+	if err != nil {
+		return internal.NewEmptyManaged(), nil
+	}
 	return managed, nil
 }
 
@@ -157,7 +162,7 @@ func decodeManagedFields(liveObj, newObj runtime.Object, ignoreManagedFieldsFrom
 func (f *FieldManager) Update(liveObj, newObj runtime.Object, manager string) (object runtime.Object, err error) {
 	// First try to decode the managed fields provided in the update,
 	// This is necessary to allow directly updating managed fields.
-	managed, err := decodeManagedFields(liveObj, newObj, f.ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject)
+	managed, err := decodeLiveOrNew(liveObj, newObj, f.ignoreManagedFieldsFromRequestObject)
 	if err != nil {
 		return newObj, nil
 	}
@@ -219,7 +224,7 @@ func (f *FieldManager) Apply(liveObj, appliedObj runtime.Object, manager string,
 	}
 
 	// Decode the managed fields in the live object, since it isn't allowed in the patch.
-	managed, err := internal.DecodeObjectManagedFields(accessor.GetManagedFields())
+	managed, err := DecodeManagedFields(accessor.GetManagedFields())
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to decode managed fields: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields.go
index 9a625e2acf7..652ba64a839 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields.go
@@ -77,15 +77,6 @@ func RemoveObjectManagedFields(obj runtime.Object) {
 	accessor.SetManagedFields(nil)
 }
 
-// DecodeObjectManagedFields extracts and converts the objects ManagedFields into a fieldpath.ManagedFields.
-func DecodeObjectManagedFields(from []metav1.ManagedFieldsEntry) (ManagedInterface, error) {
-	managed, err := decodeManagedFields(from)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to convert managed fields from API: %v", err)
-	}
-	return &managed, nil
-}
-
 // EncodeObjectManagedFields converts and stores the fieldpathManagedFields into the objects ManagedFields
 func EncodeObjectManagedFields(obj runtime.Object, managed ManagedInterface) error {
 	accessor, err := meta.Accessor(obj)
@@ -102,9 +93,10 @@ func EncodeObjectManagedFields(obj runtime.Object, managed ManagedInterface) err
 	return nil
 }
 
-// decodeManagedFields converts ManagedFields from the wire format (api format)
+// DecodeManagedFields converts ManagedFields from the wire format (api format)
 // to the format used by sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff
-func decodeManagedFields(encodedManagedFields []metav1.ManagedFieldsEntry) (managed managedStruct, err error) {
+func DecodeManagedFields(encodedManagedFields []metav1.ManagedFieldsEntry) (ManagedInterface, error) {
+	managed := managedStruct{}
 	managed.fields = make(fieldpath.ManagedFields, len(encodedManagedFields))
 	managed.times = make(map[string]*metav1.Time, len(encodedManagedFields))
 
@@ -113,21 +105,21 @@ func decodeManagedFields(encodedManagedFields []metav1.ManagedFieldsEntry) (mana
 		case "FieldsV1":
 			// Valid case.
 		case "":
-			return managedStruct{}, fmt.Errorf("missing fieldsType in managed fields entry %d", i)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("missing fieldsType in managed fields entry %d", i)
 		default:
-			return managedStruct{}, fmt.Errorf("invalid fieldsType %q in managed fields entry %d", encodedVersionedSet.FieldsType, i)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid fieldsType %q in managed fields entry %d", encodedVersionedSet.FieldsType, i)
 		}
 		manager, err := BuildManagerIdentifier(&encodedVersionedSet)
 		if err != nil {
-			return managedStruct{}, fmt.Errorf("error decoding manager from %v: %v", encodedVersionedSet, err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error decoding manager from %v: %v", encodedVersionedSet, err)
 		}
 		managed.fields[manager], err = decodeVersionedSet(&encodedVersionedSet)
 		if err != nil {
-			return managedStruct{}, fmt.Errorf("error decoding versioned set from %v: %v", encodedVersionedSet, err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error decoding versioned set from %v: %v", encodedVersionedSet, err)
 		}
 		managed.times[manager] = encodedVersionedSet.Time
 	}
-	return managed, nil
+	return &managed, nil
 }
 
 // BuildManagerIdentifier creates a manager identifier string from a ManagedFieldsEntry
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields_test.go
index 68a6fa5a2b7..1ca4d4b0ba0 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/internal/managedfields_test.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func TestHasFieldsType(t *testing.T) {
 `), &unmarshaled); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("did not expect yaml unmarshalling error but got: %v", err)
 	}
-	if _, err := decodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err != nil {
+	if _, err := DecodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("did not expect decoding error but got: %v", err)
 	}
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestHasFieldsType(t *testing.T) {
 `), &unmarshaled); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("did not expect yaml unmarshalling error but got: %v", err)
 	}
-	if _, err := decodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err == nil {
+	if _, err := DecodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("Expect decoding error but got none")
 	}
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func TestHasFieldsType(t *testing.T) {
 `), &unmarshaled); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("did not expect yaml unmarshalling error but got: %v", err)
 	}
-	if _, err := decodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err == nil {
+	if _, err := DecodeManagedFields(unmarshaled); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("Expect decoding error but got none")
 	}
 }
@@ -189,11 +189,11 @@ func TestRoundTripManagedFields(t *testing.T) {
 			if err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(test), &unmarshaled); err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("did not expect yaml unmarshalling error but got: %v", err)
 			}
-			decoded, err := decodeManagedFields(unmarshaled)
+			decoded, err := DecodeManagedFields(unmarshaled)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("did not expect decoding error but got: %v", err)
 			}
-			encoded, err := encodeManagedFields(&decoded)
+			encoded, err := encodeManagedFields(decoded)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("did not expect encoding error but got: %v", err)
 			}