Gilbert was given his first full season under Sturrock at Plymouth where left-back made a good impression after joining from Birmingham City.
The 22-year-old moved to Leicester City in the summer but he found first-team opportunities at a premium and was loaned out to rejoin his old boss in November.
Since then, his loan move has become permanent, last season's first-choice left-back Paul Heckingbottom has moved to Barnsley, John Hills has moved to left-midfield and Gilbert has made the place his own.
On Sturrock's obvious faith in the player, he told Footymad: "It means a lot to me and obviously I have got a lot of respect for the manager and his coaching staff because I have played for them at Plymouth. But thankfully when I moved to Leicester, it didn’t work out and Paul came in for me and the faith he has shown in me I want to repay it.
"Paul has made it clear that he wants to change things around here and it’s good for me that I’m part of that puzzle but it’s nice to know that he has faith in me. He is trying to build a squad here that can compete.
"The gaffer knows my game and hopefully that can only be good for Wednesday, for me and the other players he brings in."