diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_bpf.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_bpf.c
index 5c9961ee9747..b27fd9b8c4f6 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_bpf.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_bpf.c
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ u32 mana_run_xdp(struct net_device *ndev, struct mana_rxq *rxq,
 		goto out;
 
 	xdp_init_buff(xdp, PAGE_SIZE, &rxq->xdp_rxq);
-	xdp_prepare_buff(xdp, buf_va, XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM, pkt_len, true);
+	xdp_prepare_buff(xdp, buf_va, rxq->headroom, pkt_len, true);
 
 	act = bpf_prog_run_xdp(prog, xdp);
 
@@ -183,9 +183,9 @@ static int mana_xdp_set(struct net_device *ndev, struct bpf_prog *prog,
 	if (!old_prog && !prog)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (prog && ndev->mtu > MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX) {
+	if (prog && ndev->mtu > MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX(ndev)) {
 		netdev_err(ndev, "XDP: mtu:%u too large, mtu_max:%lu\n",
-			   ndev->mtu, MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX);
+			   ndev->mtu, MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX(ndev));
 		NL_SET_ERR_MSG_MOD(extack, "XDP: mtu too large");
 
 		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ static int mana_xdp_set(struct net_device *ndev, struct bpf_prog *prog,
 		bpf_prog_put(old_prog);
 
 	if (prog)
-		ndev->max_mtu = min_t(unsigned int, MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX,
+		ndev->max_mtu = min_t(unsigned int, MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX(ndev),
 				      gc->adapter_mtu - ETH_HLEN);
 	else
 		ndev->max_mtu = gc->adapter_mtu - ETH_HLEN;
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_en.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_en.c
index 591fb4191d90..a1fb06b23947 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_en.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_en.c
@@ -758,6 +758,44 @@ static void *mana_get_rxbuf_pre(struct mana_rxq *rxq, dma_addr_t *da)
 	return va;
 }
 
+/* Reserve enough headroom to satisfy the skb_cow() in ip_forward() and avoid
+ * reallocation: the TX path keeps the SGE DMA mappings in struct mana_skb_head
+ * at skb->head, so the port advertises ndev->needed_headroom = MANA_HEADROOM.
+ */
+static u32 mana_get_rxbuf_headroom(struct mana_port_context *apc)
+{
+	if (mana_xdp_get(apc))
+		return mana_xdp_headroom(apc->ndev);
+
+	return LL_RESERVED_SPACE(apc->ndev);
+}
+
+static u32 mana_get_rxbuf_size(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 mtu)
+{
+	u32 len = SKB_DATA_ALIGN(mtu + MANA_RXBUF_PAD +
+				 mana_get_rxbuf_headroom(apc));
+
+	return ALIGN(len, MANA_RX_FRAG_ALIGNMENT);
+}
+
+/* Returns true when one RX buffer per page is already required by XDP or by
+ * the buffer size implied by the MTU, i.e. regardless of the
+ * MANA_PRIV_FLAG_USE_FULL_PAGE_RXBUF private flag.
+ */
+bool mana_single_rxbuf_per_page_forced(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 mtu)
+{
+	/* For xdp make sure only one packet fits per page. */
+	if (mana_xdp_get(apc))
+		return true;
+
+	/* Only use the page_pool fragment path when at least two buffers,
+	 * including the headroom each of them has to reserve, actually fit
+	 * into one page. Otherwise the fragment path degenerates into one
+	 * buffer per page while still paying the fragment accounting cost.
+	 */
+	return PAGE_SIZE / mana_get_rxbuf_size(apc, mtu) < 2;
+}
+
 static bool
 mana_use_single_rxbuf_per_page(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 mtu)
 {
@@ -770,32 +808,27 @@ mana_use_single_rxbuf_per_page(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 mtu)
 	if (apc->priv_flags & BIT(MANA_PRIV_FLAG_USE_FULL_PAGE_RXBUF))
 		return true;
 
-	/* For xdp and jumbo frames make sure only one packet fits per page. */
-	if (mtu + MANA_RXBUF_PAD > PAGE_SIZE / 2 || mana_xdp_get(apc))
-		return true;
-
-	return false;
+	return mana_single_rxbuf_per_page_forced(apc, mtu);
 }
 
-/* Get RX buffer's data size, alloc size, XDP headroom based on MTU */
+/* Get RX buffer's data size, alloc size, headroom and frag count based on MTU */
 static void mana_get_rxbuf_cfg(struct mana_port_context *apc,
 			       int mtu, u32 *datasize, u32 *alloc_size,
 			       u32 *headroom, u32 *frag_count)
 {
-	u32 len, buf_size;
+	u32 buf_size;
 
 	/* Calculate datasize first (consistent across all cases) */
 	*datasize = mtu + ETH_HLEN;
 
+	*headroom = mana_get_rxbuf_headroom(apc);
+
 	if (mana_use_single_rxbuf_per_page(apc, mtu)) {
-		if (mana_xdp_get(apc)) {
-			*headroom = XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM;
+		if (mana_xdp_get(apc))
 			*alloc_size = PAGE_SIZE;
-		} else {
-			*headroom = 0; /* no support for XDP */
+		else
 			*alloc_size = SKB_DATA_ALIGN(mtu + MANA_RXBUF_PAD +
 						     *headroom);
-		}
 
 		*frag_count = 1;
 
@@ -809,11 +842,7 @@ static void mana_get_rxbuf_cfg(struct mana_port_context *apc,
 	}
 
 	/* Standard MTU case - optimize for multiple packets per page */
-	*headroom = 0;
-
-	/* Calculate base buffer size needed */
-	len = SKB_DATA_ALIGN(mtu + MANA_RXBUF_PAD + *headroom);
-	buf_size = ALIGN(len, MANA_RX_FRAG_ALIGNMENT);
+	buf_size = mana_get_rxbuf_size(apc, mtu);
 
 	/* Calculate how many packets can fit in a page */
 	*frag_count = PAGE_SIZE / buf_size;
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_ethtool.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_ethtool.c
index ece7ff9cc409..33db79569d3b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_ethtool.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana/mana_ethtool.c
@@ -815,12 +815,12 @@ static int mana_set_priv_flags(struct net_device *ndev, u32 priv_flags)
 		if (!apc->port_is_up)
 			return 0;
 
-		/* If XDP is attached or MTU is jumbo, single-buffer-per-page
-		 * is already forced regardless of this flag. Skip the
-		 * expensive detach/attach cycle since nothing changes.
+		/* If XDP is attached or the MTU already forces one buffer per
+		 * page, single-buffer-per-page is used regardless of this
+		 * flag. Skip the expensive detach/attach cycle since nothing
+		 * changes.
 		 */
-		if (ndev->mtu + MANA_RXBUF_PAD > PAGE_SIZE / 2 ||
-		    mana_xdp_get(apc))
+		if (mana_single_rxbuf_per_page_forced(apc, ndev->mtu))
 			return 0;
 
 		/* Block RDMA from grabbing the vport during detach/attach */
diff --git a/include/net/mana/mana.h b/include/net/mana/mana.h
index 83b7eff4646e..8c3dc9d0b299 100644
--- a/include/net/mana/mana.h
+++ b/include/net/mana/mana.h
@@ -377,7 +377,18 @@ struct mana_recv_buf_oob {
 #define MANA_RXBUF_PAD (SKB_DATA_ALIGN(sizeof(struct skb_shared_info)) \
 			+ ETH_HLEN)
 
-#define MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX (PAGE_SIZE - MANA_RXBUF_PAD - XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM)
+/* Headroom an RX buffer has to reserve while XDP is attached: the XDP program
+ * needs XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM, and the TX path needs LL_RESERVED_SPACE() (see
+ * mana_get_rxbuf_headroom()). LL_RESERVED_SPACE() grows with MAX_SKB_FRAGS and
+ * exceeds XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM once CONFIG_MAX_SKB_FRAGS is 19 or more.
+ */
+static inline u32 mana_xdp_headroom(struct net_device *ndev)
+{
+	return max_t(u32, LL_RESERVED_SPACE(ndev), XDP_PACKET_HEADROOM);
+}
+
+#define MANA_XDP_MTU_MAX(ndev) \
+	(PAGE_SIZE - MANA_RXBUF_PAD - mana_xdp_headroom(ndev))
 
 struct mana_rxq {
 	struct gdma_queue *gdma_rq;
@@ -691,6 +702,7 @@ int mana_query_link_cfg(struct mana_port_context *apc);
 int mana_set_bw_clamp(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 speed,
 		      int enable_clamping);
 void mana_query_phy_stats(struct mana_port_context *apc);
+bool mana_single_rxbuf_per_page_forced(struct mana_port_context *apc, u32 mtu);
 int mana_pre_alloc_rxbufs(struct mana_port_context *apc, int mtu, int num_queues);
 void mana_pre_dealloc_rxbufs(struct mana_port_context *apc);
 void mana_unmap_skb(struct sk_buff *skb, struct mana_port_context *apc);