diff --git a/package/busybox/busybox.mk b/package/busybox/busybox.mk
index 003909806a..eeb9dc5bac 100644
--- a/package/busybox/busybox.mk
+++ b/package/busybox/busybox.mk
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ BUSYBOX_LDFLAGS = \
 
 # Packages that provide commands that may also be busybox applets:
 BUSYBOX_DEPENDENCIES = \
+	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_NETCAT),netcat) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_NETCAT_OPENSBSD),netcat-openbsd) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_NMAP),nmap) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_NTP),ntp) \
diff --git a/package/netcat/netcat.mk b/package/netcat/netcat.mk
index d8b3c930b9..eb7ddcac27 100644
--- a/package/netcat/netcat.mk
+++ b/package/netcat/netcat.mk
@@ -9,17 +9,4 @@ NETCAT_SITE = http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/netcat/netcat/$(NETCAT_VE
 NETCAT_LICENSE = GPL-2.0+
 NETCAT_LICENSE_FILES = COPYING
 
-# Ensure Busybox gets built/installed before, so that this package
-# overrides Busybox nc.
-ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_BUSYBOX),y)
-NETCAT_DEPENDENCIES += busybox
-endif
-
-# Netcat doesn't overwrite a pre-existing 'nc' (e.g. from busybox) so
-# force-remove it.
-define NETCAT_RMOVE_NC_LINK
-	rm -f $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/bin/nc
-endef
-NETCAT_PRE_INSTALL_TARGET_HOOKS += NETCAT_RMOVE_NC_LINK
-
 $(eval $(autotools-package))