diff --git a/manifests/0000_20_kube-apiserver-operator_06_deployment.yaml b/manifests/0000_20_kube-apiserver-operator_06_deployment.yaml
index d568201e8..95761c9cd 100644
--- a/manifests/0000_20_kube-apiserver-operator_06_deployment.yaml
+++ b/manifests/0000_20_kube-apiserver-operator_06_deployment.yaml
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ spec:
         fsGroup: 1000
         seccompProfile:
           type: RuntimeDefault
-      automountServiceAccountToken: false # here to prevent deadlock, remove in 4.9
       serviceAccountName: kube-apiserver-operator
       containers:
       - name: kube-apiserver-operator
@@ -59,9 +58,6 @@ spec:
           name: config
         - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/serving-cert
           name: serving-cert
-        - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
-          name: kube-api-access
-          readOnly: true
         - mountPath: /tmp
           name: tmp-dir
         env:
@@ -86,24 +82,6 @@ spec:
       - name: config
         configMap:
           name: kube-apiserver-operator-config
-      - name: kube-api-access
-        projected:
-          defaultMode: 420
-          sources:
-          - serviceAccountToken:
-              expirationSeconds: 3600
-              path: token
-          - configMap:
-              items:
-              - key: ca.crt
-                path: ca.crt
-              name: kube-root-ca.crt
-          - downwardAPI:
-              items:
-              - fieldRef:
-                  apiVersion: v1
-                  fieldPath: metadata.namespace
-                path: namespace
       - name: tmp-dir
         emptyDir: {}
       nodeSelector: