Can Maneuvering Attack be used to move an ally towards another creature?

Question

Can a Battle Master use Maneuvering Attack to move a ally towards another creature, or is it only for moving them away to safety? The text reads as if the intent of the maneuver is to get someone out of harm's way of a creature you're currently attacking, but it's not explicit in the wording:

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to maneuver one of your comrades into a more advantageous position. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and you choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of your attack.

The scenario I have in mind is when I'm attacking one creature and a fellow PC wants to attack a second creature, but the second creature is too far away for my ally to reach next turn. Can I attack my target creature using Maneuvering Attack to help move my ally to move closer to their target, so they will be able to close the distance on their turn? Is this a legitimate use of Maneuvering Attack?

Answer 1

This is a perfectly valid use of Maneuvering Attack - it's even in line with the intent of the ability.

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to maneuver one of your comrades into a more advantageous position.

Getting one of your allies into a position where they can attack is definitely maneuvering them into a more advantageous position. As for the actual rules:

That creature can use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of your attack.

It doesn't say that they have to be within reach of the creature that you attack, or that they have to move away from it, or anything like that. Just that they can move up to half their speed, and that they don't provoke opportunity attacks from the creature you attacked.