Is he still hung up on his ex? Tells me he’s not but i have my doubts. Guidance appreciated.

My (f20) boyfriend (m24) is my second relationship but my first everything. At the same time he is experianced in the relationship feeld, having dated various women before me. His first official relationship was a 5 year long on-and-off relationship with a girl, having ended due to him not being mature enough and taking her for granted (his words).

At the beginning of our talking stage he would tell me of how perfect she was and how if he didn’t mess things up he would still be with her and possibly have children. He would also tell me that I reminded him of her and had i not been in another relationship before him i would be “perfect just like her”. I brushed that conversation off because he seemed like (and is) a really good guy but those words always echo back to me. Now that our relationship has further developed (we have almost been together for a year) i feel like our relationship is only deepening.

However i still fear that in the back of his mind he is still thinking of his first love and that all the women that came after her are her replacement, like he was trying to fill the void of her abcanse with other women. I am also very insecure of how she lives just two houses down from him.

I have attempted to communicate these issues with him. Sometimes he does reassure me by telling me that he doesn’t think of other women and that he is only invested in me and our relationship. This said, it usually results in the conversation getting brushed off, him telling me that i am too sensitive and can’t handle the truth or that he had never said such words. (I told him that the latter two contradict each other but he told me he forgot what he said). :/

Do i have a reson to feel a little off about this? am i just being insecure? Am i being manipulated? In his head is he picturing her in the relationship instead of me? My inexperience in the world of relationships has led me to seeking such guidance and i am unable to talk to my parents about this due to strict cultural customs.

Tldr:
Bf compared me to his “perfect” ex. I feel like he is with me as a replacement to her.

Thank you deeply for taking the time to read this and also for aiding me with my concern.