diff --git a/sstables/sstable_directory.cc b/sstables/sstable_directory.cc
index 0327885f41..9665301a87 100644
--- a/sstables/sstable_directory.cc
+++ b/sstables/sstable_directory.cc
@@ -173,63 +173,41 @@ future<sstables::shared_sstable> sstable_directory::load_sstable(sstables::entry
     co_return sst;
 }
 
-future<sstables::shared_sstable> sstable_directory::load_sstable(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags) const {
-    auto sst = co_await load_sstable(std::move(desc), flags.sstable_open_config);
-    validate(sst, flags);
-    if (flags.need_mutate_level) {
-        dirlog.trace("Mutating {} to level 0\n", sst->get_filename());
-        co_await sst->mutate_sstable_level(0);
-    }
-    co_return sst;
-}
-
 future<>
 sstable_directory::process_descriptor(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags) {
     if (desc.version > _max_version_seen) {
         _max_version_seen = desc.version;
     }
 
-    if (flags.sort_sstables_according_to_owner) {
-        co_await sort_sstable(std::move(desc), flags);
-    } else {
-        dirlog.debug("Added {} to unsorted sstables list", sstable_filename(desc));
-        _unsorted_sstables.push_back(co_await load_sstable(std::move(desc), flags));
-    }
-}
-
-future<std::vector<shard_id>> sstable_directory::get_shards_for_this_sstable(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc, process_flags flags) const {
-    auto sst = _manager.make_sstable(_schema, _table_dir, *_storage_opts, desc.generation, _state, desc.version, desc.format, gc_clock::now(), _error_handler_gen);
-    co_await sst->load_owner_shards(_sharder);
+    auto sst = co_await load_sstable(desc, flags.sstable_open_config);
     validate(sst, flags);
-    co_return sst->get_shards_for_this_sstable();
-}
 
-future<foreign_sstable_open_info> sstable_directory::get_open_info_for_this_sstable(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc) const {
-    auto sst = co_await load_sstable(std::move(desc));
-    co_return co_await sst->get_open_info();
-}
+    if (flags.need_mutate_level) {
+        dirlog.trace("Mutating {} to level 0\n", sst->get_filename());
+        co_await sst->mutate_sstable_level(0);
+    }
 
-future<>
-sstable_directory::sort_sstable(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags) {
-    auto shards = co_await get_shards_for_this_sstable(desc, flags);
+    if (!flags.sort_sstables_according_to_owner) {
+        dirlog.debug("Added {} to unsorted sstables list", sst->get_filename());
+        _unsorted_sstables.push_back(std::move(sst));
+        co_return;
+    }
+
+    auto shards = sst->get_shards_for_this_sstable();
     if (shards.size() == 1) {
         if (shards[0] == this_shard_id()) {
-            dirlog.trace("{} identified as a local unshared SSTable", sstable_filename(desc));
-            _unshared_local_sstables.push_back(co_await load_sstable(std::move(desc), flags));
+            dirlog.trace("{} identified as a local unshared SSTable", sst->get_filename());
+            _unshared_local_sstables.push_back(std::move(sst));
         } else {
-            dirlog.trace("{} identified as a remote unshared SSTable, shard={}", sstable_filename(desc), shards[0]);
+            dirlog.trace("{} identified as a remote unshared SSTable, shard={}", sst->get_filename(), shards[0]);
             _unshared_remote_sstables[shards[0]].push_back(std::move(desc));
         }
     } else {
-        dirlog.trace("{} identified as a shared SSTable, shards={}", sstable_filename(desc), shards);
-        _shared_sstable_info.push_back(co_await get_open_info_for_this_sstable(desc));
+        dirlog.trace("{} identified as a shared SSTable, shards={}", sst->get_filename(), shards);
+        _shared_sstable_info.push_back(co_await sst->get_open_info());
     }
 }
 
-sstring sstable_directory::sstable_filename(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc) const {
-    return sstable::filename(make_path(_table_dir, _state).native(), _schema->ks_name(), _schema->cf_name(), desc.version, desc.generation, desc.format, component_type::Data);
-}
-
 generation_type
 sstable_directory::highest_generation_seen() const {
     return _max_generation_seen;
diff --git a/sstables/sstable_directory.hh b/sstables/sstable_directory.hh
index 044e85851b..06dd0a7de0 100644
--- a/sstables/sstable_directory.hh
+++ b/sstables/sstable_directory.hh
@@ -177,21 +177,9 @@ private:
     future<> process_descriptor(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags);
     void validate(sstables::shared_sstable sst, process_flags flags) const;
     future<sstables::shared_sstable> load_sstable(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, sstables::sstable_open_config cfg = {}) const;
-    future<sstables::shared_sstable> load_sstable(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags) const;
 
     future<> load_foreign_sstables(sstable_entry_descriptor_vector info_vec);
 
-    // Sort the sstable according to owner
-    future<> sort_sstable(sstables::entry_descriptor desc, process_flags flags);
-
-    // Returns filename for a SSTable from its entry_descriptor.
-    sstring sstable_filename(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc) const;
-
-    // Compute owner of shards for a particular SSTable.
-    future<std::vector<shard_id>> get_shards_for_this_sstable(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc, process_flags flags) const;
-    // Retrieves sstables::foreign_sstable_open_info for a particular SSTable.
-    future<foreign_sstable_open_info> get_open_info_for_this_sstable(const sstables::entry_descriptor& desc) const;
-
     sstable_directory(sstables_manager& manager,
           schema_ptr schema,
           std::variant<std::unique_ptr<dht::sharder>, const dht::sharder*> sharder,